Memphis Pots Two Second-Half Goals in Season-Opening Win at Belmont

Thursday, August 20

Nashville, Tenn.

7:30 p.m.

University of Memphis

1-0-0, 0-0-0

Belmont

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Memphis	0	2	2
Belmont	0	0	0

Memphis Pots Two Second-Half Goals in Season-Opening Win at Belmont

Aug 20, 2026 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Memphis (1-0-0) men's soccer team pressured Belmont (0-1-0) in its season opener putting up 14 shots with a pair of goals in the second half to secure the Tigers' first win of the year.

After a scoreless first half where the Tigers outpaced the Bruins 5-1 in shots, Renan Syrio broke the tie with a rebound off a penalty kick for Memphis' first goal of the 2026 campaign. Saad Chaouki gave Memphis a two-goal lead that stood at the final whistle.

KEY MOMENTS

6' – Keanan Bader made a quick impact, registering Memphis' first shot of the season that just sprayed over the crossbar.
49' – After a Memphis challenge resulted in a handball being seen in the box by a Belmont defender, Thomas Mancuso stepped up but his penalty was saved. The ball caromed over to forward Renan Syrio who found the bottom corner of the net for his first goal as a Tiger.
- Mancuso was credited with an assist on the penalty attempt for his first point in the Memphis blue.
64' – A rough challenge by Belmont's Nathan Ferguson resulted in the first yellow card of the year by either team, ending a back-and-forth sequence that allowed Miller Lashlee and Saad Chaouki to check back in in the second half.
78' – Memphis extended its lead to two when Saad Chaouki intercepted an attempted clearance and scored on one touch from the edge of the box.
'81 – Belmont picked up a second yellow card after a dangerous challenge by Jaxon Stokes.

NOTABLES

The win snapped a streak of two seasons without a season-opening win.
- It also restarts a win streak against the Bruins, with the Tigers picking up their 19^th win in the series.
The Tigers registered 14 total shots in the win, marking the fourth time in the past five seasons where Memphis logged 14-plus shots in a season opener.
Renan Syrio logged his first goal as a Tiger, having scored 18 over his previous two seasons at NJCAA side, Cowley College.
- His goal marks the third straight season where a Memphis newcomer scored in the opening match, with Fletcher Hedge in 2025 and Lleyton Imparato in 2024.
Saad Chaouki started the season with a goal, his seventh as a Tiger after leading the team with six last season.
Transfer midfielder Thomas Mancuso picked up his first point at Memphis with an assist on Syrio's goal.
Goalkeeper Noah Kasin picked up a clean sheet in his Memphis debut without needing to make a save.
Four Tigers (Renan Syrio, Keanan Bader, Marko Stajnko, Thomas Mancuso) registered multiple shots in the match.
10 Tigers (Noah Kasin, Junior Saint Juste, Ethan Cook, Henrique Cruz, Renan Syrio, Keanan Bader, Marko Stajnko, Thomas Mancuso, Kynu Samuels, Mathias Krohnstad) made their regular season debuts for Memphis.
Four Tigers (Noah Kasin, Ethan Cook, Henrique Cruz, Marko Stajnko) logged a full 90 minutes played in the win.
- All four are Memphis newcomers.
Two players were cautioned throughout the course of the match, being Belmont's Nathan Ferguson and Jaxon Stokes.

UP NEXT
Memphis (1-0-0) sets up for its home opener against RV North Carolina (0-0-1) on Monday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Track & Soccer Complex. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a White Out theme, with free t-shirts for the first 150 fans.

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.