The University of Memphis men’s soccer team (5-3-3), continued conference play last Saturday in Philadelphia as they faced the Temple Owls (4-5-3). The match ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Tigers allowed an early goal to the Owls, but redshirt freshman midfielder Edgar Alaniz scored the game-tying goal in the second half. Richard Mulrooney, the head coach of the men’s soccer team, said he was happy with his team’s performance, even though they couldn’t win, and he said he was grateful for earning a point on the road.
“At the end of the day, we go on the road and get a point, which is much better than a loss,” Mulrooney said. “Although we always set our sights on trying to get three points. We’re disappointed in that, but as I told the guys, if we play like that more often than not, we’ll be awarded for that.”
The game started well for the Tigers with a few shots on goal in the first two minutes of the game, but there was no outcome. Memphis pressured well throughout the match and got a lot of shots off, but most of them weren’t on target. In the end, the Tigers had 20 shots, but only four were on target. That’s been the case for the squad for most of the season, and Mulrooney said he is aware of the issue but believes the team can get over the slump.
“Unfortunately, we still are struggling to put the ball in the back of the net,” Mulrooney said. “Although I know we have the quality to do it, but it’s just been inconsistent.”
The Tigers traveled to Conway, Arkansas, on Tuesday to face the Central Arkansas Bears (5-4-2), which ended in a 2-2 draw. It was a back-and-forth game against the Bears, as the Tigers got a 2-1 lead in the first half, but an own goal in the 62nd minute decided the match.
“We had a slow start to the game, I felt, which hasn’t happened very often with us this year,” Mulrooney said.
Sophomore midfielder Alexandros Ierides scored in the 30th minute, and sophomore forward Brantley Bice scored from inside the 18-yard box to the bottom of the net in the 42nd minute. They both scored their first goals of the season.
The Tigers were at huge risk of being down 2-3 after they were called for a handball in the 18-yard box after fighting in the box resulted in a penalty for Central Arkansas.
Freshman goalkeeper Parker Lackland, who came in the match after halftime, made the most important save of the night to keep the game tied. Lackland ended with a season-high six saves in the game.
“For Parker to come up with that save, for one second, you feel like you won the lottery,” Mulrooney said.
The Tigers have been in a short slump after being winless for their last three games. Their last win came against Cincinnati on Sept. 23.
The men’s soccer team looks to end the slump Friday night in Memphis as they continue conference play against the SMU Mustangs. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
Edgar Alaniz tries to make a run with the ball past the defender. Alaniz notched his second goal of the season last weekend against Temple.
