No. 23 Tigers Continue Power Four Stretch Against Houston, No. 8 Ohio State

Thursday, September 3

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

Houston

No. 23 Tigers Continue Power Four Stretch Against Houston, No. 8 Ohio State

Sep 02, 2026 | Women's Soccer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 23 Memphis women's soccer team returns home this week to host Houston before traveling to face No. 8 Ohio State, continuing a challenging early-season stretch against Power Four competition.

The Tigers enter the week ranked No. 23 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll after earning a 3-1 road victory over Ole Miss last week. Thursday's contest will mark Memphis' fourth consecutive match against a Power Four opponent, with Sunday marking a fifth straight.

Memphis collected a pair of American Conference weekly awards following the victory over the Rebels, with Evelyn Mackay earning Defensive Player of the Week and Ai Kitagawa being named Midfielder of the Week. Ava Galani and Abby Forsgren also received honorable mentions.

Mackay added another honor Wednesday when she was selected to TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week. The defender played the full 90 minutes at Ole Miss, scoring on a long-range strike in the 12th minute and recording her first career assist on Kitagawa's opening goal.

Kitagawa continued her strong start to the season with a goal and an assist against the Rebels. Her ninth-minute strike from way outside the box was nominated for National Goal of the Week, ranked as the No. 4 play of the week across all sports by the American Conference and was selected as one of TopDrawerSoccer's top five goals of the week. The junior has recorded eight points through Memphis' first four matches.

Galani made four saves after facing a career-high 10 shots against Ole Miss, while Forsgren scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the 76th minute, heading home a cross from Kitagawa to seal the 3-1 victory.

SCOUTING REPORT

Game One: Houston

Thursday's contest will mark Memphis' fourth consecutive matchup against a Power Four opponent. Houston enters with a 2-1-2 record after tying Abilene Christian and suffering a 2-1 loss to No. 3 Vanderbilt last week.

Memphis leads the all-time series against Houston, 17-8-2. The programs last met in 2022, playing to a 2-2 draw in Memphis. The Tigers trailed 2-0 late in that match before Mya Jones scored in the 85th minute and Jocelyn Alonzo found the equalizer in the 88th.

Houston is led by second-year head coach Ben Williams, who owns a 9-5-9 record with the Cougars and a 23-9-11 overall record as a head coach.

The Cougars' attack is led by a pair of SEC transfers. Texas A&M transfer Bailey Cate has scored three goals on just five shots this season, while Tennessee transfer Skylar Miller has recorded two goals and two assists. Returner Samira Minor has also found the back of the net twice through Houston's first five matches.

Houston has been among the nation's more active attacking teams early in the season, ranking 28th nationally in corner kicks per game (7.4), 30th in shots on goal per game (8.6) and 38th in shots per game (17.6).

Game Two: at No. 8 Ohio State

Memphis will then travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday matchup against No. 8 Ohio State, marking the Tigers' fifth consecutive contest against a Power Four opponent. The Buckeyes enter the week with a 2-0-1 record, highlighted by a 1-0 victory over then-No. 12 Kansas and a 2-1 win over Kentucky in their last two matches.

Sunday will mark just the second meeting between Memphis and Ohio State. The programs first met in 2023 at the Track & Soccer Complex, with the Tigers earning a convincing 6-1 victory.

The matchup will also feature two of the winningest active coaches in Division I women's soccer. Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan and Ohio State head coach Lori Walker-Hock enter the week tied with 331 career victories, ranking 29th on the all-time Division I women's soccer coaching wins list and 16th among active head coaches.

Despite its top-10 ranking, Ohio State has scored just three goals through its first three matches. Returners Sydney Bering, Jadin Bonham and Amanda Schlueter have accounted for the Buckeyes' three goals, with Schlueter providing the game-winner in the 40th minute against Kansas.

In contrast, the Buckeyes have been especially strong on the defensive end, ranking 12th nationally in save percentage (.933), 21st in goals-against average (.333) and 28th in shutout percentage (.667). Ohio State has allowed just one goal through three matches, including a six-save shutout against Kansas.

TIGER TIDBITS

The Tigers are 119-105-24 all-time against current Power Four programs and 113-81-21 since Monaghan took over in the year 2000. Since the start of the 2023 season, Memphis is 17-6-1 against Power Four opponents.

Memphis has received at least one vote in 45 consecutive United Soccer Coaches polls dating back to the final poll of the 2022 season.

Ava Gaida made the first start of her collegiate career at Ole Miss, playing the full 90 minutes in the Tigers' 3-1 victory.

Freshman Abby Forsgren has played 328 of a possible 360 minutes through Memphis' first four matches and scored the first goal of her collegiate career against Ole Miss.

Ai Kitagawa has recorded eight points through the Tigers' first four matches, averaging 2.0 points per match.

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.