Mizzou soccer gets its first SEC home match in Columbia on Friday night, welcoming Kentucky to Audrey J. Walton Stadium at 6 p.m. The meeting is the 17th between the programs, and Missouri has gone 1-0-1 in the last two games between the teams in the Show-Me State.
The Tigers are back home for their SEC opener after opening conference play on the road at Oklahoma, where they fell 3-1 on Friday, Sept. 11, at John Crain Field in Norman. Oklahoma scored in the ninth minute and stretched the lead to 3-0 by the 28th before Emily Derucki got Missouri on the board in the 49th minute off an assist from Lana Adams. Senior goalkeeper Riley Wilkerson made a season-high six saves, but the Sooners finished with a 13-7 edge in shots.
Friday’s matchup also gives Missouri a chance to keep building on what it has done well at home. The Tigers have hosted 4,393 fans in their first two games at the newly renovated Walton Stadium, including a program-record 2,324 in the season opener against Saint Louis. Missouri is one of six programs nationally to draw 2,000-plus fans in at least two home matches in 2026, alongside Michigan State, South Carolina, Tennessee, BYU and Texas Tech.
The renovation, made possible by Audrey J. Walton’s donation, funded a new natural grass playing surface and subsurface improvements.
On the field, Missouri has leaned on a young core that keeps producing. Brianna Buels scored in just 14 seconds against Murray State, setting a program record, and finished that match with two goals.
Derucki added her first game-winning goal in the same win, while Rylie Morse scored the first two goals of her career in a 5-0 Senior Night win over SEMO. Lana Adams also had a two-goal first half against the Redhawks, giving her three goals on the season and tying Landis Canada for the team lead.
Missouri enters with a few numbers that show how competitive it has been. The Tigers average 7.38 corner kicks per game, which ranks 23rd nationally, and they sit second in the SEC in save percentage at .806.
They also rank fifth in the conference in shot accuracy, with 47.5 percent of their shots finding the target. Adams and Canada each have three goals, and both have scored a game-winner.
The back line has done its part, too. Missouri has allowed just seven goals in 2026 and has given up one or fewer in six matches.
The Tigers have posted clean sheets against Western Kentucky, NIU and SEMO, and they have conceded one goal each to Murray State, Saint Louis, Missouri State and Creighton. Center backs Mia Yang and Morgan Meador are back to anchor the defense after playing nearly every minute together in 2025.
In goal, Missouri has split duties between Kate Phillips and Wilkerson. Phillips opened the year with her seventh career shutout in a 0-0 draw at Western Kentucky and added seven saves against Saint Louis. Wilkerson followed with the win at Murray State and a four-save shutout against Northern Illinois.
Kentucky comes in at 5-3-0 after beating Texas A&M 3-2 in its SEC opener on Sept. 11.
The Wildcats are powered by freshman Kyla Dawn, a two-time SEC Freshman of the Week who scored a hat trick in a 9-1 win over Wright State and is the SEC’s most accurate shooter. Kentucky is tied with Vanderbilt for the conference’s best scoring offense at 4.0 goals per game, a mark that ranks fourth nationally.
Troy Fabiano is in his fifth year leading the Wildcats, and Kentucky went 12-4-5 in 2025, its winningest season under him. The program has also reached back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
Missouri’s roster continuity remains a big part of the story. The Tigers returned at least 10 starters from a year ago, only the fourth time in program history that has happened, and all three previous teams to do it reached the NCAA Tournament. Buels, Canada and Yang were all named to the 2026 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist, each earning the honor for the second straight year.
The Tigers also continue to lean heavily on Missouri roots. Their 2026 roster includes 10 in-state players, making it just the second time the program has had 10 or more Missourians in three or more straight seasons. Missouri set a program record with 15 Missouri natives on the 2025 roster.
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