Tigers drop 2-0 decision to Creighton

Friday, September 7

Omaha, Neb.

7:30 PM

University of Memphis

2-2-1

Creighton

3-1-1

Memphis

Creighton

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Sep 07, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Memphis looks to rebound against Utah Valley on Sunday

The Memphis Tigers fall in their first match against Creighton since 2008. A pair of second half goals from the Bluejays handed the Tigers their second loss of the season.

It was a homecoming of sorts for head coach Richard Mulrooney. A standout midfielder for the Creighton Bluejays during his collegiate days, this was the first time Mulrooney had coached against his alma mater.

"It was a warm welcoming for sure. Creighton was a foundation for me to get to the professional level, and I have fine memories here. It's a fine place," Mulrooney said of the reception he experienced before the match. "It puts a smile on my face knowing that the school has a special place in my heart, and obviously the athletic program is that much stronger than when I left. It was good to come back and see everything."

It was a game of drives and counters for both teams. One would attack, the other would halt the attack and push forward on the counter-attack. It all started with a corner kick for Creighton in the third minute. Goalkeeper Tyler Hofmann got his mitts on the shot, however, setting a tone that would continue for the Tiger defense in the first half.

Possession went back and forth for much of the first half, as neither team was able to claim a foothold, or register a shot, until David Zalzman lined one up in the 23^rd minute, but the shot went wide.

Memphis found its momentum in the latter part of the half, maintaining possession and driving deep into Bluejay territory, yet couldn't find the back of the net on any of their four shots.

Even though Creighton outshot Memphis 7-4 in the first stanza, the Bluejay offense had the same results as the Tigers. Each time the ball would get driven into Memphis territory, the Tigers would clear the danger and make a counter-run.

Perhaps the best opportunity in the first half for Memphis came in the 43^rd minute. Alexandros Ierides drove down the left side of the pitch, and launched a cross from outside the box. Gurman Sangha placed himself in prime position to finish with a header, but it went just to the right of his outstretched head, and was cleared by Creighton.

"We had some opportunities to score, but unfortunately we couldn't finish them," Mulrooney commented of the scoreless first half. "That being said, we should be proud of the way we played. We're going to win, or at least get a result, more often than not if we play like that."

The second half started with a flurry of attacks from the Tigers. A pair of corners nearly produced a tie-breaking goal, but Memphis was unable to find the net.

The 62^nd minute was when the scoring drought was finally broken. Creighton tracked down a loose ball on the Memphis backline, and recovered enough to get a clean shot past the keeper.

Creighton threatened again a few minutes later with a free kick just outside the box, but a diving save from Tyler Hofmann kept the deficit to one.

Memphis threatened a couple more times, making deep runs into Bluejay territory, but to no avail. A pair of corner kicks came up empty for the Tigers, but the aggression was still there.

In the 82^nd minute, Creighton found a passing combination inside the box that led to the second goal for the Bluejays.

"I thought they had a little more quality to their second half, and I think we got more tired than they did. That being said, I think it was the most complete soccer game we've played this year," Mulrooney said. "That is a good soccer team, offensively, defensively, they're well coached. I never like to lose, but I can say that we left it all on the field."

Memphis now stands 2-2-1 and will play Utah Valley on Sunday as its second match of the weekend in Omaha. Start time is slated for 11 a.m.