No. 24 Tigers Ship Seven Goals Past Kennesaw State

Thursday, August 21

Kennesaw, Ga.

6:00 p.m.

University of Memphis

3-0-0, 0-0-0

Kennesaw State

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Memphis

Kennesaw St.

Aug 21, 2025 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. – The No. 24 Memphis women's soccer team scored their most goals in a game since 2021 on Thursday evening, cruising to a 7-0 victory over Kennesaw State at Fifth Third Stadium.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 for the third season in a row, totaling 19 goals and conceding just two after three games. Freshman Ellis Kelly bagged her second brace in three collegiate games, scoring twice and assisting on the final goal. Ai Kitagawa also scored a pair of goals, and Ashley Henderson, Taliah Brooks and Natalie Leibel each found the back of the net.

"I'm really pleased with the performance for the whole 90 minutes," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "We challenged the girls to keep the intensity for the entire game, even as we subbed in and out, and they did that. It was a good performance, and we'll get back to work for the big games ahead."

After a 30-minute lightning delay, the Tigers broke through after just 10 minutes, as Kitagawa scored directly from a corner kick into the far corner. Nine minutes later, Elise Perron played a cross into the box which Kelly headed into the bottom left corner to double their advantage.

In the 33rd minute, an effective press from Memphis resulted in a poor back pass from the Owls, which Kitagawa pounced on to secure her second goal of the game and third of the season. The Tigers would score twice more before halftime, as Henderson finished off a well-worked team move and Brooks connected her back heel to a freekick delivery from Leibel to make it 5-0.

The visitors stayed on the front foot for the entire second half, and Kelly remained a focal point in attack, this time from the right side. She isolated and brushed past a defender for her second goal in the 57th minute, and it was her assist on a lovely chip from Leibel just above the penalty area for the seventh and final goal.

The complete performance was transparent in the box score, which showed 25 Memphis shots to three from Kennesaw State, without any on target. The Tigers took nine corners and conceded none.

Memphis will be back home this Sunday for a top-25 battle with No. 11 Vanderbilt. Set for 7:30 p.m., the game will follow the conclusion of the men's contest against Belmont and be streamed 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.