University of Memphis Athletics
Nagata, Kitagawa Collect American Conference Weekly Honors; Galani, Forsgren Receive Honorable Mentions
Sep 21, 2026 | Women's Soccer
IRVING, Texas – University of Memphis women's soccer players Yuna Nagata and Ai Kitagawa earned American Conference weekly honors on Monday, with Nagata being named Defensive Player of the Week and Kitagawa earning Midfielder of the Week. Ava Galani and Abby Forsgren also received honorable mentions.
Nagata played a key role on both ends of the field in Memphis' 2-0 victory over Rice on Thursday to open American Conference play. The defensive midfielder helped the Tigers secure a clean sheet while also contributing offensively with an assist on Memphis' second goal of the night.
With the Tigers holding a one-goal advantage late in the match, Nagata combined with Taliah Brooks to set up Kitagawa's goal in the 81st minute, helping Memphis put the match away and secure three points in its conference opener.
Kitagawa made her return to the starting lineup against the Owls and made an immediate impact, playing all 90 minutes and recording a match-high five shots. The junior midfielder found the back of the net in the 81st minute when her attempted cross traveled through traffic and into the goal to double the Memphis advantage.
The goal was Kitagawa's fourth of the season and 20th of her Memphis career, making her the 15th player in program history to reach the 20-goal mark.
Galani earned an honorable mention after recording a clean sheet against the Owls. The goalkeeper helped the Tigers keep Rice off the scoreboard by making four saves as Memphis opened conference play with a shutout victory.
Freshman Abby Forsgren also received an honorable mention after opening the scoring in the 21st minute. Ellis Kelly made a run down the right side before cutting the ball back to Forsgren, who placed her shot just over the goalkeeper. The goal was the second of Forsgren's career.
UP NEXT
Memphis will be back in action next week when they hit the road to face South Florida at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 before staying in Florida to take on Florida Atlantic at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. The match against South Florida will be broadcast on ESPNU while the Florida Atlantic match will be 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.
Nagata played a key role on both ends of the field in Memphis' 2-0 victory over Rice on Thursday to open American Conference play. The defensive midfielder helped the Tigers secure a clean sheet while also contributing offensively with an assist on Memphis' second goal of the night.
With the Tigers holding a one-goal advantage late in the match, Nagata combined with Taliah Brooks to set up Kitagawa's goal in the 81st minute, helping Memphis put the match away and secure three points in its conference opener.
Kitagawa made her return to the starting lineup against the Owls and made an immediate impact, playing all 90 minutes and recording a match-high five shots. The junior midfielder found the back of the net in the 81st minute when her attempted cross traveled through traffic and into the goal to double the Memphis advantage.
The goal was Kitagawa's fourth of the season and 20th of her Memphis career, making her the 15th player in program history to reach the 20-goal mark.
Galani earned an honorable mention after recording a clean sheet against the Owls. The goalkeeper helped the Tigers keep Rice off the scoreboard by making four saves as Memphis opened conference play with a shutout victory.
Freshman Abby Forsgren also received an honorable mention after opening the scoring in the 21st minute. Ellis Kelly made a run down the right side before cutting the ball back to Forsgren, who placed her shot just over the goalkeeper. The goal was the second of Forsgren's career.
UP NEXT
Memphis will be back in action next week when they hit the road to face South Florida at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 before staying in Florida to take on Florida Atlantic at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. The match against South Florida will be broadcast on ESPNU while the Florida Atlantic match will be 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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerSaturday, November 22
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Monday, November 10