With both University of Memphis soccer teams playing each weekend it can be difficult to keep up with all of the action. We’ve come up with a weekly notebook that will fill you in on all you need to know every Wednesday throughout the season.
Weekend in review
An undefeated weekend for the Memphis soccer teams kicked off Friday evening with the Lady Tigers seizing a 1-0 victory at home against UT-Martin behind a 52nd minute goal from freshman Chanel Hudson-Marks. Then on Saturday night, the men’s team was able to break a four-game losing streak to draw No. 15 Kentucky 0-0 on the road, but the real excitement from the weekend slate came on Sunday in an afternoon shootout between the Memphis women’s team and Idaho that head coach Brooks Monaghan called “a crazy game.”
The contest got going with a bang when Tiger freshman Marie Levasseur banged in her first goal of the season in just the second minute, and then only six minutes later she whipped in a pass to junior forward Valerie Sanderson who tapped it in to give Memphis a two-goal lead in the opening minutes. About 10 minutes after that, Idaho joined in on the scoring, and by the time the first half came to a halt the Lady Tigers were up 3-2.
The second half was considerably tamer than the first, but Idaho was still able to equalize in the 54th minute with a shot from Kavita Battan that snuck just under the crossbar. The game then appeared to be headed towards a 3-3 draw until Memphis finally struck again in the second period of extra time as freshman Elizabeth Woerner collected a rebound off the post and sent in a shot that took a deflection and landed in the back of the net for the win.
After the weekend’s wins the Lady Tigers are 4-1-1, while the draw against Kentucky improved the men’s record to 0-4-1.
Lady Tigers’ goal drought ends while men’s continues
The women’s soccer team had scored exactly one goal in every game this season and was searching for a breakthrough, and it finally came against Idaho. The Lady Tigers nearly doubled their goal total for the season in the game, and it was due at least in part to a new system put in by Monaghan in an effort to boost the goal scoring.
“We had more numbers forward, that’s for sure, so we can create more opportunities, and then the more people we have in the box, the more people we have forward we can get more goals and I think it showed today,” Sanderson, who had two goals in the win, said.
Monaghan acknowledged that it was a brand new system that still needed tweaking, but it certainly appears that it’s been a step in the right direction.
On the men’s side, the Tigers were able to get their first result the season despite a fourth straight game without a goal scored. Memphis has scored only one goal in five games this season, and none since the first half of the season opener.
Keeping with the trend of the season, Memphis outshot Kentucky 17-7 even though they weren’t able to break through with a goal. The Tigers have outshot their opponents 69-50 this season, but have scored just the one goal.
Memphis played nearly half the game with an extra man — Kentucky’s Stefan Stojkovic was sent off with a red card in the 69th minute — and it was a huge opportunity for the Tigers to capitalize and earn a signature victory over a ranked opponent. However, head coach Richard Mulrooney is just happy to get a result considering the quality of the opponent and the 0-4 start to the year.
“We didn’t get the win tonight but it’s progress in the right direction,” Mulrooney said. “I think this was the most complete performance we’ve had from our team start to finish and that includes an extra 20 minutes in overtime. Overall I’m happy. This is a hard place to play and this is something to build on.”
Sanderson and Levasseur shine offensively
Valerie Sanderson was the Lady Tigers’ leading goal-scorer in each of her first two seasons, notching a combined 30 goals, but had been off to a slow start in 2015. Sanderson had scored only once in the first five games of the season, and it was no doubt a major factor in the team’s limited scoring.
Sunday afternoon Sanderson bounced back, scoring two goals and adding an assist against Idaho. Not only did the performance propel Memphis to the victory, but it also can serve as a launching pad for more goals in the near future.
“I’m really excited because I needed a goal at least today, and I think it opens up things for the future,” Sanderson said. “Getting two goals today, it’s still early in the season. I think I can get more, and then other people can get more, and getting overall four goals, it’s a really good game and moving forward we’re gonna score more goals.”
In addition to Sanderson’s output, freshman Marie Levasseur also left her mark with a goal and two assists on the afternoon. Prior to that game the freshman had consistently been one of the team’s most consistent attacking threats, but hadn’t yet gotten through with a goal or assist.
“Hopefully (the goal) gives her some confidence; she’s still growing and getting used to this team and she’s going to be a special player for us, she really is,” Monaghan said. “But as with any young kid, it takes some time. First up is getting her into positions to score, and it’s good, hopefully she’ll get some confidence off of the goal she scored, but yeah she needs to clean some stuff up for sure. She should’ve scored a couple of goals, I’m not gonna lie.”
Levasseur had an excellent opportunity to score a second goal when she received the ball on a breakaway in the first half, but she took her touch too hard and the keeper dove on the ball before she was able to fire off a shot.
Up Next
The Lady Tigers return to action this weekend with two games, the first coming on the road Friday evening at 3-2-2 Western Kentucky. The women will then have a quick turnaround before a difficult home contest against 5-1-2 Ole Miss at 7 p.m. Sunday at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
Meanwhile, the men’s team has an extended layoff before another road game vs. a ranked opponent at No. 19 Louisville.
Memphis freshman forward Marie Levasseur scored her first goal of the season against Idaho Sunday.
