Tigers Drop 3-0 Contest to Tar Heels

Tuesday, September 16

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

University of Memphis

1-4-3, 0-1-0

North Carolina

4-1-2, 0-0-2

Memphis

North Carolina

Photo by: Steven Spehar

Sep 16, 2025 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Memphis (1-4-3, 0-1-0 American) men's soccer dropped a match, 3-0, to RV North Carolina (4-1-2, 0-0-2 ACC) Tuesday night at Dorrance Field.

The Tigers conceded three goals and were heavily outshot by an aggressive North Carolina forward group that was able to work up the sides of the Memphis defense.

KEY MOMENTS

23' – The Tar Heels got off to an early start with a goal scored by Nacho Abeal with an assist Gabriel Bracken Serra.
26-29' – Three minutes after conceding the first goal of the match, Jakob Buhrkuhl faced 6 shots in a 150-second span, recording saves on all four shots that were on target.
60' – North Carolina extended its lead with a second goal in the 60^th minute with the same pairing as the first goal, this time Gabriel Bracken Serra scoring with Nacho Abeal earning an assist.
67' – A dangerous tackle led to red card being issued to Memphis' Anthony DiFalco, meaning the Tigers would play the final 23 minutes with just 10 players.
69' – Memphis did not record its first shot until the 69^th minute when Miller Lashlee put a shot on target.
86' – After a Tar Heel corner kick was only cleared just outside of the box, the ball found the feet of Riley Berge, who gave North Carolina a three-goal lead that held through full time.

NOTABLES

Memphis has gone without a win in its last five matches, earning two draws and taking three losses in that span.
- The Tigers have not scored in their last 337 minutes of match time, dating back to Saad Chaouki's goal in a loss to FGCU on Sept. 3.
Memphis was outshot 21-to-1 in the loss, marking the first time in since at least 2000 that Memphis was outshot by a total of 20 shots or more.
- Memphis' one shot on goal was the least since failing to record a single shot on goal in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which was also a match against North Carolina.
Jakob Buhrkuhl earned a third start in net, tying his Memphis record of four saves, all of which happened within three minutes.
Memphis was also edged in corner kicks, with the Tar Heels having seven attempts compared to Memphis' two corner kicks in the match, both of which happened in the fifth minute of the match.
Four Tigers (Jakob Buhrkuhl, Dino Stavros, Ryan Ruguaru, Saad Chaouki) played a full 90 minutes in the loss.
- Stavros and Chaouki lead the time as the only two with at least 600 minutes played, logging 676 and 672 minutes, respectively.
Two cards were issued in the match, both going to Memphis. Fletcher Hedge was issued a yellow card and Anthony DiFalco was issued a red card for a tackle after review.
- DiFalco is the first Tiger to earn a red card since Cory Pitlik earned one in the 2024 AAC Semifinal match against FIU.

UP NEXT
The Tigers continue a short road stand at UAB on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. The American contest against the Blazers 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.