Mizzou soccer draws against LSU to end season short of SEC Tournament

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The 2026 Mizzou soccer season ended in heartbreak, on Sunday afternoon, as the Tigers ended the season in a scoreless tie against LSU.

With the loss, head coach Stefanie Golan and her team end the year just one win short of making their first SEC Tournament berth since 2020. To make it to the conference tournament in Florida, MU needed the win over the bayou bengals to jump into the Top-12 of the conference, meaning a loss or a draw would eliminate them.

"Obviously, we're all really disappointed because that game we did everything but put one in the back of the net," Coach Golan said. "You know, the last six games of the season have been really strong performances, consistently. So, you know, I think it's okay for it to hurt because it should, you know, because we were right there and we didn't we didn't lose, you know. So, it's disappointing, for sure."

Mizzou put up a tremendous fight against LSU, out-shooting the road team 12-4 through 90 minutes and getting a clutch performance from keeper Riley Wilkerson, who kept the Tigers in the game with four saves.

The Tigers came close to scoring on multiple occasions throughout the match, but Golan said it all came down to the final piece of execution.

"Like, on the services, the timing of getting up for the header, you know, making sure that we're squaring our shoulders towards the goal. So, just little things. There were a couple where I thought we could have taken a touch before we went and struck it. You know, it was just just little things but you know, we created enough to be able to to find a result. Riley [Wilkerson] came up with a huge save in the first half to keep it level. You know, it just didn't go our way."

With the loss, Tiger soccer will say goodbye to 12 seniors, who mark the first recruiting class that have come all the way up through the program with Coach Golan at the helm. You can find a list of all of MU's seniors below.

• Goalkeeper Kate Phillips
• Goalkeeper Riley Wilkerson
• Midfielder Monica Bruaner
• Midfielder Morgan Schaefer
• Midfielder Olivia Chianelli
• Forward Brianna Buels
• Forward Micahela Hill
• Defender Morgan Meador
• Defender Shania Spriggs
• Defender Taryn Chance
• Defender Autumn Jackson
• Defender Mia Yang

"We keep getting closer and keep getting closer and keep getting closer. And, you know, their willingness to gut it out and to to stick through, you know, their entire time here, it means everything. In a day and age where, you know, loyalty isn't isn't a thing, they've been very loyal to to this program and to their teammates," Golan said.

Despite the sting of falling short of the first conference tournament berth of the Golan era in Columbia, the leader of Tiger soccer said this is the closest her team has ever come and there's momentum going into the offseason.

"It was a result away. You know, it was in our hands. We didn't have to rely on anybody else. When we've been close in the past, it would have been we had to get a result and rely on other teams. And so, you know, we're definitely taking steps in the right direction," she said.