Not only did the Memphis Lady Tigers soccer team have a season to remember in 2007, they had a spring season to remember in 2008. The 2007 Conference USA champions played 11 games this spring, including three games in Argentina during spring break.
This week, the Lady Tigers ended the spring with a 2-0 win over Vanderbilt and 0-2 loss to Ole Miss. They ended the season 7-3-1.
"Overall very good spring practice, but it was very long,"said Coach Brooks Monaghan. "This year, we took the ladies to Argentina for spring break. Usually they get eight or nine days rest over Spring Break but we didn't do that this year."
Monaghan said he and his staff have been planning the trip for some time now. Never in the history of the Memphis women's soccer program has a team traveled outside the country to play competitively.
"We talked about it for years," he said. "Every team is allowed one international trip every fours years. We've never taken one before. We fundraised, and we went. One of my assistants is from Argentina. It just made sense to go there. This was the perfect year to reward the team for their success."
While in Argentina, Memphis played three of the country's best professional clubs, Estudiantes de la Plata, Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo de Almagro. The Lady Tigers went 2-1 in Argentina.
"I wouldn't change (the trip) for the world. It was an unforgettable experience," Monaghan said. "It was a great trip that we'll certainly never forget about. Not only did we play three games down there but we got to take in the culture and enjoy it as well."
After returning from South America, the Lady Tigers finished out the spring with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock, Martin Methodist, South Alabama and Vanderbilt. They also tied Auburn 1-1 and lost to Ole Miss.
Though wins and losses do not count in Memphis' overall record for 2008, the games are good for prepping returning players for the different responsibilities they will have in the upcoming season. Memphis only lost four seniors in the off season, so there will be a lot returning talent from last years' C-USA title team.
"We hope that the seniors do take up leadership responsibilities and I think some of them already have," Monaghan said. "But we had a lot of success last year with a very young team where two to three freshmen consistently started."
Looking to continue the trend of freshmen starters at The University of Memphis, the Lady Tigers signed nine players- five from Canada, two from Tennessee and one from Michigan and one from Missouri.
"This is a talented group," Monaghan said. "We've done our research on them, not only as players but their characters, too. That was a big part of our success last season - our team's character.
"These freshmen are going to come in and compete for spots. It may take longer for some of them to adapt than others, but at the end of the day, the best players will play. I can't help but to be excited about next year because of the experience of our young players and the talent of the incoming freshmen."
However, Monaghan said he does not expect his returning players to roll over and give the freshmen their spots. However, he said that every year, there are a few freshmen who are too eager to wait until next year to crack the starting lineup.
"We're not dependent on freshman for the success of our team," he said. "Each year, the program gets more and more competitive, and it's hard to start as a freshman, but somehow two or three end up starting. It happens every year."
This should make Monaghan and his staff's offseason job of developing next year's roster a little bit harder. However, they have almost four months to make a decision. In that time, several things can happen that could make that decision for them.
"I can't tell you how many lineups I've made," Monaghan said. "I don't like to fly, so whenever I go on planes I write a new lineup. But there's only so much you can do until (the players) get here for preseason.
"Until then, you're just wasting time. You never know, some freshmen will adapt sooner than others and some players could pick up injuries in summer leagues. You don't want to jump to conclusions, but I can't help but to be excited."
