Women’s Soccer Practice Opens

Aug 03, 2017 | Women's Soccer

Expectations are high after return to the NCAA Tournament last season

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis women's soccer team stepped back on the field at the Park Avenue Campus for the first team practice of the 2017 season Wednesday. The expectations are high for the Tigers, returning eight starters and 18 total letterwinners from the team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Memphis women's soccer head coach Brooks Monaghan and his coaching staff know all about starting a new season with high pressure. After making five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2007-11, there became an expectation that Monaghan's Tigers would go to the postseason every season.

"The bar has been set. Our goal is to win the conference, make the NCAA Tournament and advance as far as we can," Monaghan said. "The last few years we were fighting to get back to where this program was and last year we took a step in the right direction."

Among the Tigers 28 players, 18 were on last season's NCAA Tournament team and 15 of those players have started at least one match in their career. Nine of the 11 starters from the NCAA first round match against Arkansas are back this season. The roster also includes four players who were recognized on the All-American Athletic Conference teams.

Junior captain Olivia Gauthier was named to the All-Conference second team last season and landed on the All-Rookie team after her first season in 2015. She has started all 39 games in her career thus far and emerged as a leader early on.

"Everyone is just looking forward to playing. Our goal is to win conference so we want to get out on the field and do that," Gauthier said. "We know what it takes to get there and its not always easy. It is good that we do know what it takes because we can use that to be better than last year."

In addition to Gauthier, two-time all-conference selection and 2015 American Rookie of the Year Marie Levasseur returns for her junior season. The Stoneham, Quebec City native has 11 career goals and nine assists.

Sophomore midfielders Serena Dolan and Jessica Lisi were recognized on the All-Rookie team last season after each starting every game for the Tigers. Lisi, also a second team all-conference selection, set a Memphis freshman record with nine assists.

Four seniors will lead the Memphis Tigers this season – Necee Jennings, Sydney Kingston, Sessen Stevens and Alyxandria Stafford. Last season was the first time for each of those four players to make the NCAA Tournament and now understand what it will take to get back.

"Right now we are just focusing on the preseason, taking it each day at a time and putting in as much work as we can," Stevens said. "Once we start playing the non-conference games, then we'll take it one game at a time.

Monaghan and his staff will also have the tough task this season of replacing two four-year starters in goalkeeper Maryse Bard-Martel and the Tigers' all-time leading scorer Valerie Sanderson.

"There's definitely competition and there are at least two players at every position competing for the starting spot. There are certain players that come through this program that are hard to replace but I think we have the kids that can fill those spots and continue to do what we did last year," said Monaghan.

The Tigers will have nine freshmen and one junior transfer that will compete with the returning players for the 11 starting spots in the opening match. There will be two preseason matches where Memphis will test itself against outside competition, first at Mississippi State Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. and then against Vanderbilt at Park Avenue Campus Aug. 13 at noon.

The season opens with three consecutive home matches, starting with Samford on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.