A memorable time for Davis

Adriene Davis will see her four years of Missouri soccer eligibility run out this fall, but the senior forward has made sure she will never be forgotten.

Davis set an MU career assist record with 30 on Oct. 19 in her last home game, breaking Nikki Thole’s mark set in 2000. Thole was an All-American selection in 1999.

The game will be the greatest memory that Davis will take away from Missouri soccer. It was an important day for the Tigers, for they came from behind to defeat Texas A&M 5-4, to gain their first Big 12 Conference win of the season.

“We came back down three goals,” Davis said. “It was on senior day, it had to be on senior day, and I broke the record. It had it all.”

For coach Bryan Blitz, it was no surprise Davis set the record.

“She’s had a scoring record or assist record wherever she’s been,” Blitz said. “It’s a great accomplishment; there were a lot of great players that came before her.”

Never content with standing still, Davis has since added another assist in a 3-1 loss to Texas Tech on Oct. 26. The record has been a lone bright spot for Missouri (8-9-1, 2-6-1).

The Tigers meet Iowa State (5-8-4, 2-5-2) today in Ames and need to win to advance to the Big 12 Tournament.

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Davis said. “This is, by far, the best team I’ve ever been on and our record doesn’t indicate it.”

It is not only on the MU soccer field that Davis has received honors. An Edmond, Okla., native, she received the first Oklahoma Athlete of the Year award in 2000. The Daily Oklahoman gives the award to two athletes, a male and a female, who excelled in more than one sport. Davis was a high school standout in basketball as well as soccer, earning All-State honors at Deer Creek High in both sports.

“It was a pretty cool honor,” Davis said. “I got a phone call from my basketball coach to come home and take pictures, I really didn’t know what it was about. It turned out to be me and a guy (Colby Miller) who plays in major league baseball. Pretty cool.”

The Minnesota Twins picked Miller in the third round of the 2000 draft.

For her part, Davis has 33 goals in addition to her 30 assists in her career as a Tiger, leading Missouri in points her sophomore and junior years. Blitz said her ability to score goals will be sorely missed.

“She has a will to score and a will to play,” Blitz said. “She’s a very sophisticated player.”

Although Davis’ soccer career may be coming to a halt, her life off the field is kicking into high gear. In June, Davis will marry Daniel Calvert, a football coach at Hickman High School.

Davis is a nursing major with two years left in her program. Her busy schedule will include coaching soccer at Hickman High in the spring as well as helping with MU soccer camps in the summer.