Men's Soccer Triumphs Over Cincinnati to Open AAC Play

Saturday, September 28

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

6-2-0, 1-0-0

Cincinnati

2-6-0, 0-1-0

Memphis

Cincinnati

Photo by: Michael Wade

Men's Soccer Triumphs Over Cincinnati to Open AAC Play

Sep 28, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Christoforos Kourtis nets two, Sam Ashton scores one in 3-1 win

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Memphis men's soccer started its American Athletic Conference schedule with a commanding 3-1 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night.

Forward Sam Ashton recorded his eighth goal of the season in the first half, giving the Tigers momentum heading into the break. Christoforos Kourtis scored twice in the second half to give the Tigers the cushion over the Bearcats.

"Not a better start to conference play than getting three points," said head coach Richard Mulrooney. "Give Cincinnati credit, even though the score was 3-1, it didn't feel like that big of a gap. At the end of the day, I'm pleased with the guys, that was a thorough performance."

Ashton's goal was made possible in the 16^th minute because of an incredible passing display from the Tigers. After turning the Bearcats over, Kourtis dribbled into the attacking zone, dished to Artur De Luca, who in turn continued the ball across the box to Peter Chang. The Parker, Colorado native one-touched a pass into Ashton, who finished the play into the left corner of the goal.

Memphis would outshoot the Bearcats 8-3 in the first 45 minutes, emphasizing the control the visitors had over their hosts.

Cincinnati came out of the break with renewed focus, taking three shots in the first few minutes of the second half, though none were able to tally a score.

After weathering the early storm, Memphis regained control, taking possession and earning a PK in the 55^th minute. Kourtis, who earned the PK, scored his first goal of the year after pocketing the ball into the lower right corner of the net.

The Bearcats tried to regroup quickly, looking to catch the Memphis back line snoozing after the second goal. The visitors, however, countered the quick offensive looks.

Almost as soon as the dust had settled from Kourtis' first goal and the subsequent counter by Cincinnati, the Tigers scored again. A free kick on the offensive half of the field put Memphis in a prime position to put the match out of reach. Jackson Morse played a long ball into the box, which was collected by Ashton. The senior played the pass into the middle and it was finished off by Kourtis, his second goal of the night.

The home team would find its quick answer two minutes later, but it was too little, too late. With the margin of three goals trimmed to two, Memphis tightened its focus back up, repelling attacks and launching counters to keep Cincinnati working from a deficit. Not backing down, the Bearcats took six shots in the final 15 minutes to attempt to fight back into it, but the Memphis defense handled business until the final whistle.

"We know what Christoforos means to us, he's sort of an unsung hero in the middle for this team," Mulrooney commented. "For him to come up with a couple of goals on the score sheet, that puts a smile on our faces and I'm happy that he's able to get on the board."

Memphis, now the winner of four in a row, continues conference play on the road, facing UConn in Storrs, Conn., for its next match. First touch against the Huskies is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 4.