No. 24 Tigers Take Care of Rebels on the Road, 3-1

Thursday, August 27

Oxford, Miss.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

2-2-0, 0-0-0

Ole Miss

4-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Memphis	2	1	3
Ole Miss	1	0	1

Aug 27, 2026 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 24 ranked Memphis women's soccer team scored twice in the opening 12 minutes and never looked back, earning a 3-1 road victory over Ole Miss on Thursday night at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium.

Ai Kitagawa, Evelyn Mackay and Abby Forsgren each found the back of the net for the Tigers (2-2-0), while Kitagawa and Mackay added assists to finish the night with three points each. Memphis outshot Ole Miss 20-10 and put eight attempts on target.

Kitagawa opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Mackay doubled the advantage less than four minutes later. Ole Miss (4-1-0) pulled one back through Teaghan Irvin in the 28th minute, but Forsgren's first collegiate goal in the 76th minute sealed the victory for Memphis.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Memphis struck first in the ninth minute when Kitagawa unleashed a long-range effort from well outside the box that sailed over the outstretched hand of the Ole Miss goalkeeper. Mackay provided the assist as Kitagawa netted her third goal of the season and 19th of her career.
The Tigers doubled their advantage just over three minutes later. Mackay got on the scoresheet herself with another long-distance strike in the 12th minute to make it 2-0. Ellis Kelly recorded the assist for her first point of the season and fifth career assist.
Ole Miss cut the deficit in half in the 28th minute when Teaghan Irvin finished a counterattack off an assist from Audrey Shackelford, sending Memphis into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
Memphis put the game away in the 76th minute. Kitagawa delivered a cross into the box from a corner, where freshman Abby Forsgren headed it home for the first goal of her collegiate career and a 3-1 advantage.
The Tigers held the Rebels scoreless over the final 62 minutes to secure their first road victory of the season.

NOTABLES

Kitagawa finished with a goal and an assist, giving her a team-high three goals on the season and 19 for her career.
Mackay recorded the first assist of her collegiate career on Kitagawa's opening goal before scoring her second career goal just over three minutes later.
Forsgren's 76th-minute header marked the first goal of her collegiate career.
Kelly recorded her first point of the season and fifth career assist while firing a career-high seven shots. She accounted for more than a third of Memphis' 20 attempts.
- Her seven shots are the most by a single Memphis player in a game this year.
Memphis outshot Ole Miss 20-10, including an 11-3 advantage in the first half, and put eight shots on goal. The Tigers also held a 9-2 advantage in corner kicks.
- The Tigers' 20 shots are the most in a single game this season.
Ava Galani made four saves in goal to earn her second win of the season.
Galani, Mackay, Forsgren, Yuna Nagata, Ava Gaida, Finley Lavin, and Ally Casey each played the full 90 minutes.
The win moved Memphis to 2-2-0 on the season and handed Ole Miss (4-1-0) its first loss of the year.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Half:

9' | Memphis 1 – 0 Ole Miss – Ai Kitagawa (3) (Assist: Evelyn Mackay)

12' | Memphis 2 – 0 Ole Miss – Evelyn Mackay (1) (Assist: Ellis Kelly)

28' | Memphis 2 – 1 Ole Miss – Teaghan Irvin (1) (Assist: Audrey Shackelford)

Second Half:

76' | Memphis 3 – 1 Ole Miss – Abby Forsgren (1) (Assist: Ai Kitagawa)

Full-Time

Memphis will be back in action on Thursday, September 3, when they return home to host Houston. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Track and Soccer Complex.

For the Tigers' most recent and up-to-date schedule, click HERE.

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.