University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Wins Fifth Annual Tim McCage 7v7 Tournament
Apr 02, 2005 | Men's Soccer
April 2, 2005
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's soccer team checked off one more never achieved accomplishment, winning the Fifth Annual Tim McCage 7v7 Tournament at Echles Field on Saturday.
"It's been a trophy that has gotten away from us over the years," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "But it was great for us just to get another day of playing in, and it was well deserved of the lads in the end. I think the fitness of our squad really showed over the course of the day. And what was pleasing in the final is we played some good soccer as well."
The Tigers went 5-1 to win the tournament dedicated in honor of Tim McCage (1972-1991), a former Memphis soccer player who played for the Tigers in 1990. Freshman midfielder Adam Montgomery earned the tournament's MVP after his stellar directional leadership in the middle.
Memphis beat Martin Methodist in the Finals, 3-0. Dayton O'Brien scored the game-winning goal on an assist from Michael Coburn and was followed by Marcus McCarty's second goal of the day, a one-on-one created from a flip by Patrick Ahern. Adam Raborn finished the Tigers' scoring in the second half with his second goal of the day, this one coming off another assist from Ahern.
Sixteen teams competed in the tournament. In addition to the Tigers, two Memphis alumni teams participated along with Lambuth and its alumni team, two teams from UAH (University of Alabama in Huntsville), the Memphis Express of the Player Development League, Western Kentucky, two teams from Lyon College, Delta State, Martin Methodist College, Hinds Community College, Christian Brothers University and Freed-Hardeman University.
Memphis took the top seed in the first division by beating the Memphis Express, 3-1; UAH, 4-0; and falling to Lambuth, 2-3. The Tigers then beat Western Kentucky 3-1 in the Quarterfinals to advance to a rematch against the Memphis Express in the Semifinals.
The Express were led by five former Tigers from last season: goalkeeper Sebastian Vecchio, Daniel Dobson, John Reilly, Justin Dyer and Brad Whitsitt. A few days after signing a development league contract with Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards, Dobson scored two early goals to put the Express up by 2-0 in the second half. But Coburn got the Tigers on the board with his third goal in the day, a header off a corner kick from O'Brien. Stephen Cooling then kicked a game-tying goal past Vecchio who got a glove on it but the deflection went into the net. With no more than a minute into overtime play, spring addition Patrick Ahern dribbled through the Express defense and shot a bullet into the net for the game-winner, giving Memphis a 3-2 victory.
The Tigers came close to playing one of its alumni teams in the Finals. Down 4-0 in the Semis to Martin Methodist, the alumni scored four quick goals in the second half to tie the score only to fall a couple minutes into overtime, 5-4.
"I was very impressed with our alumni to come from 4-nil down and get back into the game," Grant said. "They were great, but I think they would have run out of steam in the final."
Other teams making the Quarterfinals were Lambuth Alumni, Lyon (A) and CBU.
Each game in the tournament was 25 minutes in length. The teams were allowed six field players and one goalkeeper on the field at any one time. The field was divided in half, allowing two games to take place simultaneously on two 75-yard long, 55-yard wide fields. No offsides were called in the games due to the shorter playing fields.
The 16 teams were placed into four fields of four. Teams earned three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. The top two teams from each field advanced to the playoffs.
Memphis started the Tim McCage Tournament five years ago in 2001. The Memphis Alumni team won the first tournament followed by the Memphis Express (2002), CBU (2003) and Lambuth last year.
"It's been great to be able to do something over the period of years. They're very supportive and come out every year. We just love to be able to do something in Tim's name. I think it's special for our players to be able to play in this tournament and to be able and meet Tim's parents, Larry and Nancy (McCage), as well."
Tim McCage saw action in six games as a Tiger in 1990. He scored his only collegiate goal against Rhodes College in the Mayor's Cup in Memphis on September 20, 1990. McCage also had an assist against Southeast Missouri State on November 26, 1990.
McCage was a four-year letterman in soccer at Craigmount. He was named the captain of the Chiefs for three years. During his career he scored 59 goals and had 40 assists. He was CHS Most Valuable Player in 1988 and the Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1989. In 1989 he was a member of the All-District 17 team. He was the first recipient of the Peter Cordosi Sportsmanship Award at the Germantown Soccer Invitational in 1989.
"Although with us for only one season, Tim McCage will always be a part of Memphis soccer," said Chris Bartels, who coached McCage at Memphis. "He is greatly missed, but the impact of his life and his death will be felt for years to come."
