Coming off a 9-5-1 regular season, the University of Memphis women’s soccer team begins postseason play in Memphis this weekend.
On Sunday, The Lady Tigers, who finished the regular season second in the American Athletic Conference, will face the winner of the East Carolina vs. Houston match, which takes place on Friday at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan said he feels great about his squad, and he hopes the tough schedule has prepared the Lady Tigers for postseason play.
“We played an extremely tough schedule,” Monaghan said. “We could have played an easy schedule, but what does that really do to prepare you? No matter what, there are always games you feel like you could’ve won if the ball bounced your way.”
The Lady Tigers posted great results against both the Pirates and Cougars earlier this season. East Carolina fell to the Lady Tigers 2-0 in Memphis on Oct. 12, and Houston lost to the U of M on its home turf 3-1 on Oct. 23.
The Pirates are the favorite to win Friday’s game, but Monaghan said “you never know with sports, that’s why they play the games.”
Both East Carolina and Houston play a counter-attacking style of soccer, according to Monaghan.
“They keep a lot of players behind the ball,” the 14th-year coach said. “They’re both tough to break down, and it can be frustrating he said. They’re very good at what they do.”
However, the Lady Tigers are focusing their preparation on themselves.
“You just want to do all the little things right,” Monaghan said. “We’re focused on ourselves, and doing our best to be perfect in everything we do.”
The Blue and Gray reeled off five straight wins to close the season, and they have no losses since Sept. 25 against Central Florida, the No. 1 seed in the American conference tournament.
In its final eight games, Memphis outscored opponents 17-6.
The goal-scoring charge was led by sophomore Valerie Sanderson. The forward has 12 goals on the season to go along with four assists.
Senior Nugene Nugent leads the Lady Tigers in assists with nine on the season. She even scored her second goal of the season on Sunday in the Lady Tigers’ 4-1 win over SMU.
Memphis is eyeing a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Lady Tigers finished 22-1-1 that season.
At 43rd in the RPI, the most important variable in the selection committee’s bracket process, the Lady Tigers would make the tournament if the bracket were made on Friday, according to Monaghan. However, this weekend’s matches are quintessential in the Lady Tigers’ hopes of a postseason run, according to Monaghan.
Sunday’s match will start at 2 p.m. at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Should Memphis win, they would travel to Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 7 for its semifinal match in the AAC tournament. The championship match would played on Nov. 9 in Tampa.
