Mizzou's sports schedule is about to get even busier as spring football begins this weekend. According to the record books, none of these games are official, but they will give you a good idea of this year's team.
Several players will be leaving the fall roster due to graduation, but there will also be a few new additions thanks to the transfer portal. With no 2024 graduates on campus yet, the Tigers will get game reps from many players who were unable to contribute in the fall.
schedule
The Tigers are scheduled to play five games between March and April. Most of these games will be played over the weekend, including three at Audrey J. Walton Stadium, home of the Tigers.
The best way to divide these games into two categories is intrastate home standoffs and Spring Cup.
Missouri will open and close its spring season the same way. It will be a home matchup against a small team in Missouri.
First up is the Central Missouri Mules on Saturday, March 16th at 2 p.m. CMU finishes her 16-5-2 season in the fall and advances to the second round of the Division II Women's Soccer Tournament.
Moving forward, Missouri State will conclude its spring season against the Kansas City Roos on Saturday, April 20th. Kansas City finished last season with a record of 3-7-8, including a tie with Power 5 opponent Kansas State. The last time the Tigers faced Ruth during the regular season was in 2013, when Missouri won 3-0.
There will be at least three Missouri games during the third annual Spring Cup. This will be the Tigers' first appearance in the Cup as the number of participating teams has been expanded from six to 12 teams.
Missouri State is in Pod 3 along with St. Louis State and Iowa State. The Tigers will play the Billikens on Thursday, April 4th, and then take on the Hawkeyes in Columbia a few days later.
After these two games, the Tigers will play another team on Saturday, April 13th at a neutral site in Westfield, Indiana.
Players to watch after returning
The Tigers lost six players from their fall roster, including two players who started more than half of their games. With another semester of experience under their belt, we would like to introduce two players who are expected to have breakout seasons.
There is an opening at forward in the lineup, and one player to keep an eye on is Jessica Larson.
During the fall, Larson was the first forward off the bench, starting two games and playing 493 minutes. Larson scored his first career goal last season against Kansas. This game was the only game in which the sophomore recorded two shots on net.
In the backline, Scarlett Thomas joined the lineup late. Thomas made his first career start after fellow defender Rachel Cutella received a red card and was given a one-match suspension.
But the sophomore took advantage of the opportunity and ran with it, scoring a goal to tie the game against South Carolina. Thomas played the full 90 minutes against the Gamecocks and did the same in the season finale against Alabama.
At 5-foot-10, Thomas is not only hard to miss, but hard to outdo. Additionally, her height also helps her clear corner kicks.
Attractive Tiger transfer
Although none of the Class of 2024 has arrived on campus, Missouri State football has brought in two transfers who are ready to take the field.
The first transfer is goaltender Cassidy Rochon from West Virginia. The Dayton, Ohio native is the third goaltender on the roster. Rochon played just 10 minutes in three years at West Virginia University in a win over St. Francis (Pa.) this fall.
The second transfer will be from Missouri State University midfielder Haley Chambliss.
The sophomore had a successful first year with the Bears, scoring eight goals. Chambliss was named the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Although his scoring numbers dropped in 2023, the midfielder scored five goals in his second season.
Fun fact: Chambliss' father, John, played baseball at Mizzou from 1992-1993.
The 2024 Mizzou football team's first game will be Saturday, March 16th at home against Central Missouri.
