University of Memphis Athletics
No. 3 Memphis Cleans Up Postseason Awards, Puts 12 on All-Conference Teams
Nov 02, 2025 | Women's Soccer
IRVING, Texas – No. 3 Memphis women's soccer was rewarded for their historic regular season on Sunday, as the American Conference announced that 12 Tigers were named to the postseason conference honors list.
Memphis won every individual award: Ashley Henderson was named Offensive Player of the Year, Finley Lavin repeated as Defender of the Year, Ai Kitagawa unanimously won Midfielder of the Year, Abby Kudla received Goalkeeper of the Year and Ellis Kelly was awarded a two-way share of the Freshman of the Year honor.
Brooks Monaghan and staff also were awarded the Staff of the Year. Conference honors were voted upon by each of the head coaches in the league; coaches were not able to vote for their own players.
Henderson, Lavin, Kitagawa, Kudla and Flavie Dube were named to the All-Conference First Team. Ally Casey and Elise Perron were selected to the Second Team, and Mihiro Furuya, Alex Mackay and Evelyn Mackay are Third Team members. Furuya, Kelly and Yuna Nagata rounded out the honorees with Freshman Team selections.
Henderson, who was named to the Second Team in 2024, used a late-season onslaught of production to secure the Tigers' second Offensive Player of the Year award in three years (Mya Jones, 2023). Her 19 points (seven goals, five assists) in conference play led the league, and she has nine goals and six assists on the year.
Lavin takes home her second defender of the year award in as many seasons, becoming the second Tiger to win the award in succession (Lizzy Simonin, 2009-10, C-USA). The junior captain has anchored a Memphis backline that is second in the country in goals allowed per game (0.35) and shutouts (12).
The 2024 Freshman of the Year in the conference, Kitagawa followed her rookie campaign with an eight-goal, three-assist season through 15 games. She leads the team with three game-winning goals, including an 89th-minute winner against Florida Atlantic to extend the Tigers' active winning streak.
After playing just 21 minutes as a freshman, Kudla's sophomore season has seen her earn conference goalkeeper of the year as well as a spot on the inaugural Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List. She ranks fifth in the country in individual goals-against average (0.41).
Kelly will share the Freshman of the Year award with Rice's Jadyn Jaeger. The Wilmington, North Carolina, native scored five goals and added four assists in 2025 and was named Freshman of the Week there times by the conference.
Dube, who transferred from Louisiana Tech before the 2024 season, elevated herself from a substitute role to one of the first names on the team sheet. The lone senior on the squad, the Canadian posted six goals and four assists from midfield.
Lavin and Kudla's First Team honors were not the only recognitions that the vaunted Tiger defense received on Sunday. Sophomore defenders Casey and Evelyn Mackay were named to the Second Team and Third Team, respectively. Each of them have started every game for the 15-0-2 Tigers. Perron also made the Second Team behind an impressive five goals and seven assists from the right wing.
Memphis' do-it-all forward Alex Mackay was named to the Third Team. The sophomore made eight starts, appearing as a substitute in the other nine games, and contributed three goals and three assists.
Of the Freshman Team recipients, Furuya was the only one to get a nod to a top-three All-Conference Team, fueled by a strong conference season. The Japan native posted two goals and three assists in her 10 games, making all six of her starts in conference play. Nagata rounded out the All-Freshman Tigers; after making just three non-conference cameos, the midfielder started the final four games of the season, which the Tigers won by a cumulative score of 15-1.
Memphis is back in action this Monday, November 3, taking on East Carolina in the American Conference quarterfinals. Kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
