The No. 16/22 Memphis Tigers women’s soccer team (15-3, 7-2 American Athletic Conference) came back from a 0-1 halftime deficit to defeat Tulsa (7-10-1, 3-6 AAC) by a score of 6-1.
It all took place on Senior Day as the team honored defender Olivia Gauthier, forward Chanel Hudson-Marks, midfielder and forward Catherine Levasseur, forward Marie Levasseur and forward Elizabeth Woerner. The team also hoisted the Canadian flag and played Canada’s national anthem for Gauthier, Hudson-Marks and the Levasseur twins during the pregame ceremony.
The Tigers started off shaky but quickly recovered and began getting good looks against Tulane. However, they could not finish off their chances from crosses within the box.
Tulane capitalized off a rare opportunity by scoring in the 25th minute to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. It was Tulane’s only shot on goal throughout the whole match, as they ended with six shots.
“We went in the locker room and said, ‘Listen, don’t panic,’” head coach Brooks Monaghan said. “We knew if we played with the same amount of energy, the chances would come.”
Memphis recovered quickly in the second half, as Marie Levasseur hit a shot outside the box that snuck past the keeper in the 50th minute. It took 15 shots for the Tigers to get on the scoreboard, and they ended the night with 30 total shots with 50 percent of those on target. It was also Marie Levasseur’s fifth goal of the year.
“I knew that once we scored one that it would give confidence to the rest of the team, and we would go from there,” Marie Levasseur said.
The team’s confidence grew as Woerner scored on an assist from defender Stasia Mallin in the 62nd minute, and the Tigers looked to build onto the lead. Although forward Clarissa Larisey was off-sides at one point, she quickly corrected herself and scored from an assist by Marie Levasseur on the same play in the 71st minute.
Samantha Murphy had a brace in her 22 minutes of play time to making her total goals so far this season 11. The team had a 5-1 advantage by the 81st minute, and Murphy was ready to contribute in her short playing time.
“I guess I was kind of antsy to get off the bench, so when I got on the field, I was extremely hungry to go out there and do it,” Murphy said. “Getting two goals for seniors on that night was super special.”
Freshman Beatrice Currie added the last goal in the 89th minute with an assist from Gauthier.
Marie Levasseur talked about her time in Memphis, and what she will miss the most.
“To be honest, I’m going to miss the girls,” she said. “That’s the sad part. It’s been the closest team since freshman year.”
The Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the AAC Tournament that’s hosted by No. 1 seed USF in Tampa, Florida, and have a first-round bye. They will face the winner of Temple and UCF.
“Now it’s time to go win a conference tournament,” Monaghan said. “There are no easy games now. We’ll go relax tonight, but tomorrow, it’s back to work.”
Murphy also added her game plan and goal for the remainder of the year.
“We’ll play like it’s 0-0, a clean slate, and go out there and kick some butt,” Murphy said.
Catherine Levasseur getting upper hand to win ball back from Tulsa player. Levasseur is one of five seniors that were honored in their last game of the regular season last Friday night.
Elizabeth Woerner bullies Tulsa player to regain possession. Woerner scored her fourth goal of the season in the 6-1 win against Tulsa.
