University of Memphis Athletics
Thursday, October 20
Dallas, Texas
7:00 PM
University of Memphis
at
SMU
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Big Weekend Ahead in Texas
Oct 19, 2016 | Women's Soccer
Memphis will face SMU and Houston in final road conference matches
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis will make its final road trip of the regular season, to the state of Texas to face SMU, Thursday at 7 p.m., and Houston, Sunday at 1 p.m. The two matches could be pivotal in the standings and in seeding for next month's American Athletic Conference Tournament.
SMU comes into the weekend with a 4-1-1 record and sitting in second place in the conference standings. The Mustangs are just one point ahead of the Tigers (10-3-1, 4-1 AAC) in the table.
"SMU is having a great season. Right now they are one of the top teams in the league and they are playing great. We are going to have to be at our best to have a chance to win. They have a very good program and we are expecting a tough match. Houston is much improved and there are no easy games in this conference," Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan said.
SMU is 10-4-1 overall and has doubled its win total from last season. Midfielder Allie Thornton has been a big part of the Mustangs' improvement this season. The freshman is the team's leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists.
Goalkeeper Catie Brown has started all 15 matches and has a 1.01 goals against average with three shut outs this season.
Houston has also improved this season with a 6-4-3 overall record and a 1-3-2 conference mark. The Cougars earned a pair of double overtime draws on the road last weekend. Sophomore forward Desiree Bowen leads Houston with six goals, while junior Selena Peters has four goals and four assists.
Senior forward Valerie Sanderson became the all-time leading goal scorer in Memphis women's soccer history during the Tigers' 2-0 win over Tulsa last Friday evening. Sanderson surpassed Christabel Oduro's 47 all-time goals to sit at the top of the goal-scoring list.
"I can't think of a player that deserves this more. It took a lot of goals to break that record. To beat out some of the players that have come through this program, it says a lot. I am ecstatic for Valerie and you just want her confidence to continue to grow. I want her to shatter that record. We still have a lot of soccer left," said Monaghan.
Sanderson ranks in several other categories including first in game-winning goals by a senior (5), second in single-season goals by a senior (13), third in single-season points by a senior (31) and second all-time in career points (114). She is just seven points shy of tying the all-time points record.
Memphis will have the benefit of ending the regular season at home. The Tigers will celebrate Senior Night against USF on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. before welcoming UCF for the finale on Sunday, Oct. 30 at noon.
SMU comes into the weekend with a 4-1-1 record and sitting in second place in the conference standings. The Mustangs are just one point ahead of the Tigers (10-3-1, 4-1 AAC) in the table.
"SMU is having a great season. Right now they are one of the top teams in the league and they are playing great. We are going to have to be at our best to have a chance to win. They have a very good program and we are expecting a tough match. Houston is much improved and there are no easy games in this conference," Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan said.
| GAME 15 INFORMATION: Thursday, Oct. 20 | 7 p.m. CT Memphis at SMU Location: Dallas, Texas Venue: Westcott Field Twitter Updates: @MemphisWSoccer Video: PonyUp TV Live Stats: SMUMustangs.com |
GAME 16 INFORMATION: Sunday, Oct. 23 | 1 p.m. CT Memphis at Houston Location: Houston, Texas Venue: Carl Lewis Complex Twitter Updates: @MemphisWSoccer Video: Houston All-Access Live Stats: GameTracker |
SMU is 10-4-1 overall and has doubled its win total from last season. Midfielder Allie Thornton has been a big part of the Mustangs' improvement this season. The freshman is the team's leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists.
Goalkeeper Catie Brown has started all 15 matches and has a 1.01 goals against average with three shut outs this season.
Houston has also improved this season with a 6-4-3 overall record and a 1-3-2 conference mark. The Cougars earned a pair of double overtime draws on the road last weekend. Sophomore forward Desiree Bowen leads Houston with six goals, while junior Selena Peters has four goals and four assists.
Senior forward Valerie Sanderson became the all-time leading goal scorer in Memphis women's soccer history during the Tigers' 2-0 win over Tulsa last Friday evening. Sanderson surpassed Christabel Oduro's 47 all-time goals to sit at the top of the goal-scoring list.
"I can't think of a player that deserves this more. It took a lot of goals to break that record. To beat out some of the players that have come through this program, it says a lot. I am ecstatic for Valerie and you just want her confidence to continue to grow. I want her to shatter that record. We still have a lot of soccer left," said Monaghan.
Sanderson ranks in several other categories including first in game-winning goals by a senior (5), second in single-season goals by a senior (13), third in single-season points by a senior (31) and second all-time in career points (114). She is just seven points shy of tying the all-time points record.
Memphis will have the benefit of ending the regular season at home. The Tigers will celebrate Senior Night against USF on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. before welcoming UCF for the finale on Sunday, Oct. 30 at noon.
Players Mentioned
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