Tigers Earn Draw in Season Opener

Friday, August 24

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

0-0-1

SIUE

0-0-1

OT 3

OT 4

SIUE

Memphis

Aug 24, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Travel to Saint Louis for Sunday Matchup

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis men's soccer earned a 2-2 draw against the visiting SIUE Cougars Friday night at Mike Rose Soccer Complex to open the 2018 season.

After controlling possession for most of the first half, the Tigers found themselves with several opportunities in the attacking third. Though none came to fruition, Memphis kept the pressure on the SIUE defense.

The Cougars, though the offense came sparingly, struck first, finding a goal in the 18^th minute. Pushing up the field, Lachlan McLean found Jorge Gonzalez near the middle of the field, who found a shot that snuck past goalkeeper Tyler Hofmann.

Not backing down, the Tigers created multiple looks throughout the first half, including strong play from freshmen Alexandros Ierides and Gurman Sangha. In all, four Tigers had multiple shots in the first half.

"I think if you watch the game, and take the goal away, we had some really good opportunities," Head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "Hopefully on another day we can finish those.

The second half started in the exact opposite fashion of the first half, with SIUE seemingly in control of possession. Memphis' attacks started coming in the middle part of the half.

In the 58^th minute, junior midfielder David Zalzman equalized the match on a free kick from in front of the home-team bench. The shot sailed just over the hands of the opposing keeper.

A minute later, SIUE capitalized on a turnover, scoring their second goal of the match to reclaim the lead.

The remainder of the second half was a game of long runs, each team driving deep into enemy territory, but the scoring threats never materialized for either team.

As time was winding down, freshman defender Artur De Luca played a ball into the jaws of the defense, and Chris Mikus battled down low and beat the keeper to tie the match at 2-2.

Memphis had a terrific chance in the first overtime period. Four minutes into extra time, Brantley Bice drew a foul just outside of the box. David Zalzman took a shot from the free spot, and it bounced off of the crossbar and out of bounds.

The Cougars threatened late into the first extra period, but nothing came of the deep drive into Memphis territory.

The second overtime was more of the same, with neither team taking advantage of the opportunities earned.

"Welcome to college soccer," Mulrooney commented after the game. "To go down 1-0, tie it. To go down 2-1, tie it, that definitely showed character on our end. I'm excited that we showed the character to come back twice."

Memphis now travels to St. Louis to take on the Billikens of Saint Louis University. Start time at Hermann Stadium is slated for 5 p.m. on Sunday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, which is a subscription based service (separate from your cable/satellite) for only $4.99 a month.

For more information on the Memphis men's soccer team, follow the Tigers on Facebook at /MemphisSoccer and on Twitter and Instagram at @MemphisMSoccer.