Men’s Soccer Hosts Rival UAB for Opener

WHAT: Match 1
WHO: UAB vs. Memphis
WHEN: 7 p.m. CT, August 28, 2015
WATCH: Memphis Tiger Network
STATS: StatBroadcast
TWITTER: @MemphisMSoccer

The Memphis men's soccer team will have their hands full right from the start as they host rival UAB in the season opener Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Tigers will close out the opening weekend by hosting Northern Kentucky Monday at 2:00 p.m.

Memphis and UAB may not play in the same conference any longer but the rivalry lives on as the two teams will meet on the soccer field for a 25^th consecutive season. Fueling the rivalry further is how closely matched the teams have been over the years, with the series tied 18-18 dating back to the start of the Memphis men's soccer program in 1982.

The Tigers will be looking to stop the Blazers' recent run of winning the last two regular-season meetings.

"This should be a great match," Memphis head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "I respect what Mike Getman has done with that program. I've talked about our program becoming a well-oiled machine and that is about as well-oiled as you can get. They know the way they play and they recruit the type of players for that. I haven't beaten them and I'd like to change that around."

Mulrooney begins his second season as the Tigers' head coach after leading the team to a 9-7-2 record in his inaugural campaign. Eight starters return from last season's team but the lineup is likely to see some turnover with 11 newcomers on the roster.

"I learned a lot from the first season. The results were good. Looking back we had some great wins and a couple of tough losses but at the end of the day it was a successful season that we hope to build on this year," Mulrooney said.

Sophomore forward Hector Cantele was announced as a unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference team after he led the Tigers with seven goals last year. The Caracas, Venezuela, native was a member of the league's All-Rookie team in 2014 as well.

After finishing fifth in the conference last season, Memphis was picked to place fifth again this season with UConn, Tulsa, USF and SMU predicted to finish ahead of them.

UAB was picked to finish fifth in the C-USA Preseason Poll and is among those receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Poll.

Freddy Ruiz, the defending Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior campaign, along with fellow seniors Ian Svantesson, Stewart Abrahart, Karl Chester and Cole Iverson.

Svantesson, a 2014 all-conference honoree, returns to anchor the defense, as other all-conference honorees Mathieu Laurent, DeAndre Robinson and David Valverde also return to the pitch to help lead the Blazers.

Northern Kentucky, entering its first season in the Horizon League, picked up a big 1-0 win over Kentucky in an exhibition match this fall.

The Norse finished last season with a 6-10-4 record and ended their tenure in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 2-0 loss to Florida Gulf Coast in the semifinals of the tournament.

Following the opening weekend at home Memphis faces a tough stretch of road games that includes trips to Saint Louis, Kentucky and Louisville. The tigers won't return to Mike Rose Soccer Complex until September 26 to host Central Arkansas.

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Players Mentioned

Hector Cantele

University of Memphis Athletics