University of Memphis Athletics
Any Time, Any Place: Ashley Henderson's Summer of Soccer
Aug 12, 2025 | Women's Soccer
Ashley Henderson knew the bare minimum about Hope Solo.
The USWNT goalkeeper for the better part of two decades has a name that is ingrained in the culture of women's soccer, but Henderson couldn't say for sure if she had even watched her play before. That was set to change in the quarterfinals of "The Soccer Tournament."
Two seven-on-seven tournaments – a men's and a women's – each with a take-home prize of $1 million, "TST" was broadcast by ESPN and featured some of the biggest names in the sport. In addition to the namesake of Solo FC, Carli Lloyd headlined a USWNT alumni squad, and Sergio Aguero and Luis Nani each captained a team on the men's side.
Henderson and some of her Ultrain FC teammates watched Netflix's Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer, an eye-opening hour into Solo's meteoric rise and personal tribulations during her fight for fair pay.
"It gave me a whole different perspective on who she was. Everything made sense after watching it. I really empathized with her," Henderson said.
None of these feelings were on the mind of the Memphis native during Ultrain FC's quarterfinal clash with Solo FC. Still scoreless well into the sudden death overtime, Henderson fired a shot that skipped up and past Solo, ruffling the back of the net to give Ultrain the 1-0 victory and send the team into a dogpile.
ULTRAIN FC GET THE TARGET SCORE TIME WINNER!
— TST (@TST7v7) June 8, 2025
Ashley Henderson cuts inside and her deflected strike evades Hope Solo, sending Ultrain to the Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/kiFCYttBE0
"That celebration wasn't because I scored on Hope Solo. It was just the build-up of the entire day, from our team meetings to having to go into overtime. To be completely transparent, it didn't matter that she was in the goal. It never mattered who was in the goal."
That moment, which has roughly 100,000 views on social media, was just another brick in the wall of Henderson's summer of soccer. After a sophomore campaign at Memphis saw her named to the All-Conference Second Team behind nine goals and three assists, she approached the offseason with her sights set far beyond her feet.
"She sat right there [in my office] and said, 'I want to play for the U.S. national team," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "When she said it, there was something in her that you just felt. That doesn't come out of people's mouth too often, and I take it very seriously. And I told her, 'We're going to treat you a little bit differently; we have to coach you a little bit differently. You've got to hold yourself to a different standard.' That was a real moment for me."
That was December 2024, and the game plan was to work like usual and see where things lie in the spring. After the Tigers – with Henderson leading the attack – had a successful spring season, the rising junior was invited to the final training camp of the US Women's Futsal team before the 2025 CONCACAF W Futsal Championship. Two weeks later, she got the call up to represent her country.
Futsal – a soccer variant created in South America to be played on basketball courts – features five players on each team. Its condensed nature emphasizes concise passing over long balls; decision-making over strategy; brain over brawns.
"It's a lot of moving, but you can't get away with being super fast," said Henderson, who spent all of high school playing futsal in Memphis leagues. "You're always thinking about the next play."
Which futsal skills translate most effectively to 11-on-11 soccer depends on who you ask, but it has unequivocally shaped Henderson's game, which showcases flashy dribbles, creative short passes and shots from any part of either foot. Her goal against Iowa State is probably unlike any you've seen in college soccer, because it stemmed from a sport that isn't exactly soccer.
Oh my goodness Ashley 😱
— Memphis Women's Soccer (@MemphisWSoccer) September 2, 2024
A #SCTop10 worthy back-heel to give Memphis a 3-1 lead ‼️#GoTigersGo pic.twitter.com/YSMvg1Upbu
Her network of Memphis futsal players connected her to Ultrain FC, which was putting together a roster for TST. Unlike the intensity of international competition, TST was a celebration of soccer, chock-full of worldwide stars and media coverage. The winner's purse ensured that it was taken seriously, but it was a breath of fresh air for those who are playing or training year-round.
"It was cool to see a lot of people that I look up to in person, and it was comfortable playing with no pressure," said Henderson.
The connections to TST opened even more doors for Henderson. She spent what was left of her summer training in California and Pennsylvania, preparing for her third year at Memphis and the first that she will wear the captain's armband.
Seemingly overnight, the freshman from Harding Academy became a leader in the locker room. The youngest team in program history (three upperclassmen, 25 underclassmen) could perhaps be more reliant on its veteran leadership than most, but Henderson isn't straying from what has carried her here.
"It [the captaincy] wasn't something that I was searching for. I told Brooks that with or without the captain's band, I would have been the same player."
It's the consistency in her approach, the self-assurance, the hunger for improvement, that elevates Henderson's game. It was on display long before the world saw it at TST, and it translates across all levels of the game.
"It never mattered who was in goal."
Any time. Any place. Any number of players or field size. Just get the ball to her feet.
"It's the consistency, it's the sacrifices," said Monaghan, a fellow born-and-raised Memphian. "If you really have aspirations to play at the highest level, that is the mentality you have to have."
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