October 1, 1998

LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech women's soccer team opens conference play with a weekend road trip. The Red Raiders (3-2-1) travel to Columbia to take on Missouri Friday, then move on to Lawrence to face Kansas Sunday afternoon. Tech has won its last two conference openers (1997 - vs. Oklahoma State; 1996 - vs. Colorado).

The Missouri Tigers posts a 4-3-1 record going into Tech's Big 12 Conference opener on Friday afternoon. Missouri has lost two of its last three games (Cal Poly- SLO, Wake Forest), but hold wins over Loyola, Southwest Missouri State, Saint Louis, and Indiana. Last season, Missouri went 7-12 and finished in a sixth-place tie in the league. The Tigers are guided by Bryan Blitz, who is in his third year as head coach. Three players sport double-figure point scoring for the Tigers. Sophomore forward Nikki Thole leads the squad with eight goals and two assists (18 points). Junior forward Erin Grimsley tallies five goals and five assists (15 points). In her eight starts, junior goalkeeper Jackie Adamec posts a goals-against-average of 1.44 with two shutouts. As a team, Missouri have outshot its opponents, 65-33, and scored 22 goals this season, allowing only 12.

The Kansas Jayhawks closed out the 1997 campaign with a 7-12-1 record, but enter Sunday's game against the Red Raiders with a 5-4 overall mark, including a Big 12 win over Missouri. Under the direction of second-year head coach Dan Magner, Kansas has won four of its last five games. Freshman forward Lindsey Kennedy tops the Jayhawk scoring with four goals on 35 shots. Junior goalkeeper Jen Fecke has started eight games and sports a goals-against-average of 1.44, allowing 10 goals. As a team, Kansas has outshot its opponents, 149-124.