Tigers celebrate seniors in 6-1 win against Tulsa

Friday, October 26

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

15-3 (7-2AAC)

Tulsa*

7-10-1 (3-6AAC)

Tulsa

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Oct 26, 2018 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

No. 18/22 Memphis secures No. 2 seed in next week's AAC Tournament

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – No. 18/22 Memphis women's soccer helped send out its senior class in style after a second-half surge carried the Tigers to a 6-1 victory Friday night at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

Memphis (15-3, 7-2) honored seniors Olivia Gauthier, Chanel Hudson-Marks, Catherine Levasseur, Marie Levasseur and Elizabeth Woerner in a pregame ceremony. With the win, Memphis earned the No. 2 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Tournament and a first-round bye.

After Tulsa (7-10-1, 3-6) took a 1-0 lead at the intermission, the Hurricane momentum dissipated as the Tigers tallied six goals in the second half. Memphis' six scores in the second half matched the program record for most goals in a half, set in 1999 against Rhodes College. The Tigers also flooded Tulsa with 30 shots throughout the match, compared to the Hurricane's six.

"Obviously, the first half was the first half. We were down 1-0. In the locker room we told them not to panic. We felt a few of the kids were kind of high strung and it took away from our focus in the final third," head coach Brooks Monaghan said. "We knew if we kept playing with the same amount of energy, more chances would come."

Marie Levasseur helped spark the Memphis offense and got the Tigers on the board in the 50^th minute. The senior took a long shot from outside the box and tucked it in to the right side of the net.

"It's an incredible feeling," Levasseur said of the emotional night. "My goal was to give my best and give this team my best. I think I did that tonight. The first half was not our best, but we put it off and came back for a great win. I knew once we could get the first one, it would give the rest of our team that confidence."

Memphis added its second goal when Levasseur sent a pass up field to Stasia Mallin, who sailed a cross to the far side to a wide-open Woerner. The senior was in perfect position to punch the ball in the back of the net to give Memphis its first lead.

The Tigers added a score in the 71^st minute, when Levasseur pushed a ball up field to Clarissa Larisey. Larisey then dribbled past the defense and beat the keeper to the right for a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore Samantha Murphy, who played just 22 minutes in the match, added a brace just five minutes apart, with assists from Woerner and Lisa Pechersky, to give the Tigers a 5-1 advantage in the 82^nd minute.

"I was probably antsy to get off the bench, and once I was on the field I was hungry to get in on the offense," Murphy said. "Getting the two goals for our seniors tonight was so special. They've been a huge part of our team."

Memphis capped the scoring festival in the final minute of the match. Freshman Beatrice Currie tallied her first goal of the season via a header off a corner kick, assisted this time from senior Gauthier. The senior class combined for two goals and four assists in its regular-season swan song.

"It speaks about our seniors' character," Monaghan added. "It's a really special group. It's a special night for them, and I'm as happy as can be for them. They've stepped up all year."

The Tigers will prep for The American tournament in Tampa, Fla. Following the first-round bye, Memphis will face the winner of UCF and Temple in semifinal action on Friday.