University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, August 26
Birmingham, Ala.
7:00 PM
University of Memphis
at
UAB
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Season Opens Friday at UAB
Aug 25, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Tigers face tough road test on opening weekend
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For a third consecutive year the University of Memphis men's soccer team will open the season with a rugged match up with UAB, as the Tigers will play at the Blazers' new BBVA Compass Field Friday at 7 p.m.
The Tigers will then continue the weekend road trip as they head further east down I-20 to Atlanta to play at Georgia State on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).
"We have been pleased with how the preseason has gone on the field and off of it," Memphis head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "On the field I'm pleased with the progress. We are far from a finished product but compared to previous years I feel like we are further along in our development. I think we can be competitive right off the bat."
Memphis had a pair of positive results during the preseason, playing Louisville to a 1-1 tie in a 90-minute match before beating Union University 5-0 in the second match.
The two matches were an opportunity for eight freshmen to play valuable minutes as they make the transition to college soccer.
"Positive results breed confidence. We were able to give guys a lot of minutes in different positions. In that aspect it was a more successful preseason than previous ones but everyone is 0-0 right now. Starting Friday night hopefully we will show what we've learned this preseason," said Mulrooney.
The Tigers will hope that senior Raul Gonzalez can maintain his goal-scoring form from last season, in which he led the team with seven goals, while looking for junior Hector Cantele to return to the performances he had as a freshman when he scored seven goals during the 2014 season.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jake Leeker locked down the starting spot in 2015, making 11 starts and posting a pair of shutouts with 49 saves and a 1.35 goals against average. Leeker was the starting goalkeeper for all three of the Tigers wins last season and started in six of the seven matches that Memphis either won or drew.
UAB poses a tough challenge for Memphis to open the season. The Tigers haven't beaten the Blazers since 2012 at Mike Rose Soccer Complex and haven't won in Birmingham since 2003. Last season Memphis and UAB were tied 1-1 at halftime before the Blazers scored early in the second half to claim a 3-1 win.
"This is a great game. UAB is perennially a top team every year. I've never beaten them as a head coach so this would be a great year to get that. They have a great program and are a tough challenge because they have quality players and a quality coaching staff," Mulrooney said.
Against Georgia State, Memphis will hope to have a similar result to last season when the Tigers rallied for a 2-1 win on goals from Gonzalez and Cantele.
Following this weekend's matches, Memphis will return to Mike Rose Soccer Complex for the home opener against Belmont on Friday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's soccer team.
Friday night will be a special night at Mike Rose with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in attendance to recognize two cancer survivors that are special to the Memphis soccer family. Alyssa de Jong, daughter of men's goalkeeper coach Remco, and her cousin, Tyler, were both diagnosed with cancer and have since raised $200,000 to fund and raise awareness for St. Jude. As part of the evening there will be donation tables set up for the families.
Memphis will also host Missouri State on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. There will be a youth clinic prior to the match hosted by the women's soccer team.
The Tigers will then continue the weekend road trip as they head further east down I-20 to Atlanta to play at Georgia State on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).
"We have been pleased with how the preseason has gone on the field and off of it," Memphis head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "On the field I'm pleased with the progress. We are far from a finished product but compared to previous years I feel like we are further along in our development. I think we can be competitive right off the bat."
| GAME 1 INFORMATION: Friday, August 26 | 7 p.m. CT Memphis at UAB Location: Birmingham, Ala. Venue: BBVA Compass Field Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer Video: BlazerVision Live Stats: GameTracker |
GAME 2 INFORMATION: Sunday, August 28 | 11 a.m. CT Memphis at Georgia State Location: Atlanta, Ga. Venue: GSU Soccer Complex Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer Video: N/A Live Stats: Live Stats |
Memphis had a pair of positive results during the preseason, playing Louisville to a 1-1 tie in a 90-minute match before beating Union University 5-0 in the second match.
The two matches were an opportunity for eight freshmen to play valuable minutes as they make the transition to college soccer.
"Positive results breed confidence. We were able to give guys a lot of minutes in different positions. In that aspect it was a more successful preseason than previous ones but everyone is 0-0 right now. Starting Friday night hopefully we will show what we've learned this preseason," said Mulrooney.
The Tigers will hope that senior Raul Gonzalez can maintain his goal-scoring form from last season, in which he led the team with seven goals, while looking for junior Hector Cantele to return to the performances he had as a freshman when he scored seven goals during the 2014 season.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jake Leeker locked down the starting spot in 2015, making 11 starts and posting a pair of shutouts with 49 saves and a 1.35 goals against average. Leeker was the starting goalkeeper for all three of the Tigers wins last season and started in six of the seven matches that Memphis either won or drew.
UAB poses a tough challenge for Memphis to open the season. The Tigers haven't beaten the Blazers since 2012 at Mike Rose Soccer Complex and haven't won in Birmingham since 2003. Last season Memphis and UAB were tied 1-1 at halftime before the Blazers scored early in the second half to claim a 3-1 win.
"This is a great game. UAB is perennially a top team every year. I've never beaten them as a head coach so this would be a great year to get that. They have a great program and are a tough challenge because they have quality players and a quality coaching staff," Mulrooney said.
Against Georgia State, Memphis will hope to have a similar result to last season when the Tigers rallied for a 2-1 win on goals from Gonzalez and Cantele.
Following this weekend's matches, Memphis will return to Mike Rose Soccer Complex for the home opener against Belmont on Friday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's soccer team.
Friday night will be a special night at Mike Rose with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in attendance to recognize two cancer survivors that are special to the Memphis soccer family. Alyssa de Jong, daughter of men's goalkeeper coach Remco, and her cousin, Tyler, were both diagnosed with cancer and have since raised $200,000 to fund and raise awareness for St. Jude. As part of the evening there will be donation tables set up for the families.
Memphis will also host Missouri State on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. There will be a youth clinic prior to the match hosted by the women's soccer team.
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