While the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball and football teams took all the headlines over the summer, eyes should also be on the upcoming men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Head coach Richard Mulrooney’s men’s team finished seventh in the American Athletic Conference last year with a 4-8-4 overall record and a 2-3-2 record in conference play.
“I was happy with our team, but at the same time, I think with the additions that we’re adding to our current core — I think that’s going to get us over the hump, hopefully getting us into some postseason play,” Mulrooney said.
The Tigers seek to improve on their upcoming season with the help of 13 new additions. Some were recruited from out of the country, such as Torbjorn Rosvoll, a freshman midfielder, from Oslo, Norway. Rosvoll was the U-19 leading scorer of his former club team, Ullern IF, last season. Mulrooney also added local prospect Peyton McKnatt, a redshirt sophomore midfielder and a junior college transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
“I believe that Peyton just has an ‘it’ factor, and when I say that, it’s hard to describe what that is,” Mulrooney said.
Peyton is a two-time All-American at Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee, and spent his summer playing for Memphis City F.C., Memphis’ new United Soccer League franchise.
While there is buzz for the new additions on the squad, team veteran David Zalzman, a senior midfielder, recognizes mistakes from last season and plans to help his team make changes.
“Making the NCAA Tournament is our goal, and as a hard-working team that we are, we can accomplish that,” Zalzman said. “Personally, I just want to leave a positive mark in our locker room, help my team as much as possible because I know this will benefit us all in the end.”
Zalzman also encourages fellow Tigers to come out and support the team in acheiving their goal.
“This will be an exciting season for us, and I encourage everyone to come out, support us and be there when we make the NCAA Tournament,” Zalzman said.
The Tigers play their first home game against Belmont on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
On the other hand, the women’s team is looking to continue forward from a 2017 season that left them wanting more. They ended last year with a 0-3 defeat against Central Florida in the AAC Tournament semifinals. The Tigers also ended with a 11-6-3 record and fell short for a NCAA Tournament bid.
Head coach Brooks Monaghan will head into his 18th season with the Memphis Tigers, and he looks to add onto his five league championships, six trips to the NCAA Tournament and 212 wins. He also talked highly of the potential of his freshman players.
“Each and every one have certain things to learn, but their ceiling as a group, freshman group, is extremely high,” Monaghan said.
For example, Kimberley Smit, a freshman defender from Wassenaar, Netherlands, brings versatile help with experience from playing with boys when she was 8 years old until she was 17.
The Tigers will play a key matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. They tied in their previous matchup 0-0, and the Bearcats finished with a 12-4-3 record in 2017.
Tigers women's soccer players run up the field with the ball last season. This year's team started off 2-1 with their only loss to Mississippi State.
Richard Mulrooney leads his team in drills. The former Creighton star was named head coach of the Memphis men's soccer team in 2014.
