University of Memphis Athletics
Friday, September 9
San Diego, Calif.
6:00 PM
University of Memphis
vs
Cal State Fullerton
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Men’s Soccer Heads To California For Courtyard Marriott San Diego Tourney
Sep 08, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Tigers will take on Cal State Fullerton and ranked San Diego State this weekend
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With a 3-1 overall record and back-to-back shutout performances last weekend, the University of Memphis men's soccer team is traveling to California for the San Diego State Tournament on Sept. 9 and 11.
The Tigers will compete in two matches beginning with a 6 p.m. (CT) Friday match against Cal State Fullerton before concluding the event with a 3 p.m. (CT) match against San Diego State on Sunday.
Memphis registered a 4-0 victory against Belmont in the home opener before backing that up with a 2-0 shutout over Missouri State Sunday afternoon. After the solid weekend, the Tigers had three student-athletes recognized by the American Athletic Conference for their play. Freshman Jackson Morse was the conference's Rookie of the Week, Jordan Klipsch was the Defensive Player of the Week and Jake Leeker was the Goalkeeper of the Week.
"Two wins speak highly," said head coach Richard Mulrooney. "When you win games, individuals get recognized. Guys are stepping up and we're playing as a unit."
Morse led the team this past weekend with a goal scored in each game and on the year, is leading the Tigers with three. Klipsch notched his first goal in two seasons against Belmont and Leeker posted his second and third shutouts of the season.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Memphis has a tough task at hand. Despite being just 1-3 overall, Cal State Fullerton has a history of being a solid team. Last season, the Titans hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament after being crowned the Big West South Division Championships and winning the Big West Tournament Title.
George Kuntz is the head coach of the Titans and in his career, he has led six of his teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Offensively the Titans are led by Alex Heilmann who has registered four goals. Cal State Fullerton has tallied six total goals this season with the other two being distributed to Nicolo D'Amato and Ronaldo Pineda.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Mulrooney. "I think it's a game nonetheless that our guys will build from. Fullerton's a different team that we haven't seen in a while. I think it brings a different challenge and we're looking forward to it."
Sunday's match-up against San Diego State will be no easy task as well as the Aztecs received a No. 13 ranking in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and a No. 9 ranking in the Soccer America poll. The Aztecs enter into the weekend with a 2-0-1 record with a win against Bradley and a monumental victory against then-No. 1 Akron at the Gonzaga Soccer Tournament.
Travis Nicklaw provided the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute against Akron. Nicklaw was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week while goalkeeper Adam Allmaras earned Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week honors.
"On many different levels, it's going to be a fun trip," added Mulrooney. "Being able to get to the west coast is special as some guys have never been out there to experience that. We're going to compete and win games. You don't win individual battles, you win collective, all together games and we see that by everyone stepping up and working together."
After returning to Memphis, the Tigers will welcome SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday, Sept. 14. at 7 p.m. for Bingo Night at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers will remain at home on Sunday with a 6 p.m. match against Houston Baptist.
The Tigers will compete in two matches beginning with a 6 p.m. (CT) Friday match against Cal State Fullerton before concluding the event with a 3 p.m. (CT) match against San Diego State on Sunday.
| GAME 5 INFORMATION: Friday, Sept. 9 | 6 p.m. CT Memphis vs. Cal State Fullerton Location: San Diego, Calif. Venue: SDSU Sports Deck Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer Video: N/A Live Stats: www.gotigersgo.com |
GAME 6 INFORMATION: Sunday, Sept. 11 | 3 p.m. CT Memphis at San Diego State Location: San Diego, Calif. Venue: SDSU Sports Deck Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer Video: N/A Live Stats: www.gotigersgo.com |
Memphis registered a 4-0 victory against Belmont in the home opener before backing that up with a 2-0 shutout over Missouri State Sunday afternoon. After the solid weekend, the Tigers had three student-athletes recognized by the American Athletic Conference for their play. Freshman Jackson Morse was the conference's Rookie of the Week, Jordan Klipsch was the Defensive Player of the Week and Jake Leeker was the Goalkeeper of the Week.
"Two wins speak highly," said head coach Richard Mulrooney. "When you win games, individuals get recognized. Guys are stepping up and we're playing as a unit."
Morse led the team this past weekend with a goal scored in each game and on the year, is leading the Tigers with three. Klipsch notched his first goal in two seasons against Belmont and Leeker posted his second and third shutouts of the season.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Memphis has a tough task at hand. Despite being just 1-3 overall, Cal State Fullerton has a history of being a solid team. Last season, the Titans hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament after being crowned the Big West South Division Championships and winning the Big West Tournament Title.
George Kuntz is the head coach of the Titans and in his career, he has led six of his teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Offensively the Titans are led by Alex Heilmann who has registered four goals. Cal State Fullerton has tallied six total goals this season with the other two being distributed to Nicolo D'Amato and Ronaldo Pineda.
"It's going to be a tough game," said Mulrooney. "I think it's a game nonetheless that our guys will build from. Fullerton's a different team that we haven't seen in a while. I think it brings a different challenge and we're looking forward to it."
Sunday's match-up against San Diego State will be no easy task as well as the Aztecs received a No. 13 ranking in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and a No. 9 ranking in the Soccer America poll. The Aztecs enter into the weekend with a 2-0-1 record with a win against Bradley and a monumental victory against then-No. 1 Akron at the Gonzaga Soccer Tournament.
Travis Nicklaw provided the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute against Akron. Nicklaw was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week while goalkeeper Adam Allmaras earned Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week honors.
"On many different levels, it's going to be a fun trip," added Mulrooney. "Being able to get to the west coast is special as some guys have never been out there to experience that. We're going to compete and win games. You don't win individual battles, you win collective, all together games and we see that by everyone stepping up and working together."
After returning to Memphis, the Tigers will welcome SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday, Sept. 14. at 7 p.m. for Bingo Night at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers will remain at home on Sunday with a 6 p.m. match against Houston Baptist.
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