2008 Men's Soccer Outlook

Senior Sean Goulding dribbles past the Mercer defense

Jul 31, 2008 | Men's Soccer

July 31, 2008

If any word describes the 2008 Memphis men's soccer team, it is seasoned. The Tigers return six seniors to the soccer field this fall. On top of the seniors, Richie Grant's squad will bring back four juniors and two sophomores who saw varied action for the Tigers in 2007.

Look for this experienced Memphis team to be a defensive force in 2008. The Tigers return almost all of its defensive unit which allowed the fewest goals in Conference USA in 2007. The only loss from the 2007 team comes in the form of Tyler Strom, who finished his career with the second lowest goals against average in school history. Looking to fill Strom's shoes is junior Michael Goodlett. A native of Bolton, Miss., Goodlett made strides toward becoming one of the best goalkeepers in Conference USA during the spring season.

The U of M soccer program was well rewarded for their accomplishments last season. Three of five of the Tigers all-conference honorees return in 2008. Memphis' five all-conference selection ranks second to only the 2004 team, who boasted six all-conference honorees. The three returners are Michael Coburn, Sean Goulding and Ryan Ruble.

The Tigers will kick off practice on Aug. 13. Memphis will open its exhibition slate with a match-up at Christian Brothers University at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 in Memphis. They will finish their exhibition season when they travel to Saint Louis University to take on the Billikens on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.

The U of M will open the 2008 regular season with the Memphis Diadora Tournament. The Tigers will take on a Bradley team that is coming off a season in which they advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA Championships.

Veteran Leadership

Memphis will return eight players who hold the distinction of starting more than 10 games in 2007. Included are the Tigers' six seniors; Michael Coburn, Sean Goulding, Tripp Harkins, Thomas Hyland, Jordan Lynn and Robert Sausaman. Among them, Coburn is the lone player remaining from Memphis' 2004 Conference USA championship team. Coburn, a senior defender from Dundalk, Ireland, was a freshman on the 2004 team, starting all but one game for the Tigers. 2008 will be his fifth year donning a Memphis Tiger uniform. Coburn redshirted in 2006 due to an ankle injury.

Ranked Rivals

Memphis will take on some stout competition during the 2008 season. The Tigers will face-off with four opponents who finished the season in the NSCAA Top-25 rankings including; No. 9 Creighton, No. 10 Bradley, No. 18 SMU and No. 20 Tulsa. The combined 2007 record of Memphis' 2008 opponents is 161-145-52.

Tigers On The Tube

Tiger fans will be able to watch the Memphis men's soccer team on national television on two occasions during the 2008 season. The first opportunity will come on October 5, when the Tigers take on the SMU Mustangs at Mike Rose Stadium. The game will be broadcast on CBS College Sports. The Tigers lost last season's match, 1-0, to the then No. 2 Mustangs.

If you miss the Tigers' match-up with the Mustangs, you can catch them for a second time on CBS College Sports when they take on the defending C-USA champion Tulsa Golden Hurricane on October 26 at Mike Rose Stadium.

This is only the second and third times, respectively, the U of M will play in front of a television audience. The last time was on Nov. 14, 2004, in the 2004 Conference USA Championship in Louisville, Ky. against the UAB Blazers in a 3-2 comeback victory. The win gave Memphis its second ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Coaching Addition

In 2008, the Tigers welcome a new full-time assistant coach to the staff with the addition of former Davis and Elkins College women's soccer head coach Mat Santoro.

Santoro brings with him a wealth of experience at the collegiate level. On top of coaching the Davis and Elkins women's team for four seasons, Santoro spent the four previous seasons at his alma-mater, Rowan University, where he was the primary recruiter for the Profs.

"Mat brings great experience as a player and a coach," said head coach Richie Grant. " I really believe that he is going to be able to develop great relationships with each of the players. Mat knows what it is like to be in charge, and I think that is going to be mutually beneficial for the coaching staff and the players."

Poll Position

Richie Grant has led the Tigers to Top-25 rankings in each of his last four seasons. Last year the Tigers reached the No. 25 spot in the Soccer America poll released on Oct. 15. Memphis slipped into the polls after defeating Kentucky, 3-1. In 2008, the U of M looks to bring the streak to five years in a row of being recognized as a Top-25 team. Since 2004, the Tigers have been ranked as high as No. 10 in the polls.

Forwards

Memphis returns an experienced group to the fold at the forward spot, returning two players--one junior and one sophomore--who saw extensive playing time in 2007. Ryan Ruble, a sophomore, joined the Tigers in 2007 as a defender, but was asked to make the transition to forward. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native, answered the call for the Tigers, making an immediate impact on the Memphis front line. Ruble tied for first on the team in goals scored with six, and led the team in shooting percentage on the season. His impressive performance earned him the attention of the conference elite, as they elected Ruble to the 2007 Conference USA All-Freshman team.

Joining Ruble up front will be Brian Farrell. The junior from Dunboyne, Ireland, saw considerable playing time last season, seeing action in all 19 Tiger games, while starting 12. Farrell connected on two goals on the season and dished out four assists.

Adding his services to the front line will be incoming freshman Parker Duncan, a native of Johnson City, Tenn.

The only loss to the forward spot comes in the form of the graduation of walk-on-turned-captain, Jared Britcher. Britcher was a key cog in Memphis' starting line-up for the last three seasons.

Midfielders

The Tigers return a core of impact players from last year at the midfield position. Three seniors; Sean Goulding, Tripp Harkins and Jordan Lynn, look to step into leadership roles for the Tigers in 2008. Goulding, a third team All-Conference USA selection, was the team's assist leader on the 2007 season with six. Harkins looks to bring his attacking mind-set to the midfield spot, while perhaps also seeing time at the forward position. Lynn contributed three goals and two assists last season.

Adding depth to the midfield will be Erik Turjillo and J.R. Romero. Turjillo saw action in four Tiger matches last season, while Romero appeared in 15 games for Memphis, contributing one assist on the season.

Joining the Tigers in 2008 will be six incoming midfielders; Jason Brooks, Dale Calvert, Elias Groft, Bradley Jacobs, Cody McCoy and Thomas Shannon. Brooks, Calvert and Shannon are coming in as players who can handle both the midfielder and defender positions. Groft, Jacobs and McCoy will be able to provide added depth to an already deep position group.

The Tigers lose two impact players from last year in Adam Montgomery and Kevin Walsh. Walsh tied Ryan Ruble for the team's leading goal scorer.

Defenders

The Tigers return four players with loads of experience patrolling the backfield in Rick Alleman, Michael Coburn, Thomas Hyland and Robert Sausaman. The group has played a total of 210 matches in their Tiger careers. In 2007, they held opponents to a conference low goals-against average of 0.89.

"This team's strength will be its defense," said head coach Richie Grant. "We have tremendous experience in our back four. They have played a lot of games together and understand their importance with so many attack-minded players. It is important that our defenders are solid."

Coburn scored two goals and three assists in his fourth year with the program. Due to his outstanding play throughout the season, he was awarded with NSCAA All-Midwest second team and C-USA All-Conference second team honors. Coburn is the lone holdover from Grant's 2004 Conference USA championship team.

Adding depth to the backfield will be transfer students Mark Weldon and Rory O'Connor. Weldon got a head start on his Memphis career, as he participated during spring practice. A transfer from Appalachian State, Weldon started 12 of 19 games for the Mountaineers last season. O'Connor is a transplant from NAIA-affiliated Lambuth University. The Dublin, Ireland native, helped lead the Eagles to the 2007 Tran-South conference title, while also garnering first team All-Tran-South honors.

Also adding their talents to the Tigers in 2008 will be five freshmen; Jason Brooks, Dale Calvert, Dalton Healy, Chris Porter and Thomas Shannon.

Goalkeepers

Goalie Michael Goodlett looks to build on a positive spring performance when the Tigers take the field this fall. The junior saw action in four games last season, allowing one goal, while making five saves. Goodlett split time with Tyler Strom in goal in 2006, allowing 18 goals in 12 games.

"We talked about the importance of our back four, but we really only go as far as our goalie allows us this season," Richie Grant said. "The last time we won a championship we had the best goalkeeper in the league; Michael has that potential. He played a lot as a freshman, played back-up last year and had a good spring. We will be looking for Michael to lead the way at that position. He's going to have some great competition from a couple of young players."

Backing up Goodlett will be three incoming players, Harrison Cheatham, Cody Gibson and Jordan Leedle. Cheatham, a transfer from Young Harris College in Georgia, joined the team for the spring practice. The junior was named all-region as both a freshman and a sophomore.