Tigers Drop Heartbreaker to UCF, Fall in 1-0 final

Friday, November 1

Orlando, Fla.

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

10-5-0, 4-2-0

#6 UCF

12-1-2, 5-0-1

Memphis

UCF

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Nov 01, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

ORLANDO, Florida – Searching for a sixth-straight road win, the Memphis men's soccer team allowed a late goal to drop a 1-0 final to UCF on Friday. The Tigers, having already clinched a berth in the AAC Championship, have one match remaining in the regular season.

After 85 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Knights capitalized on a counter attack and were able to find a score. From there, the Tigers were unable to capture an equalizer before the final.

"Our plan in the first half worked, they didn't have a ton of good chances, and when the did, Parker came up huge," Head Coach Richard Mulrooney said of the scoreless first half. "In the second half, I thought we did better offensively, our set plays were better. But they're the No. 6 team in the country for a reason, they work so well on the counter attack, and that was the difference tonight."

UCF established possession early, earning a corner kick in the third minute. The Knights would keep up the pressure through the first half, earning six corner kicks and outshooting the Tigers 6-3 through the first 45.

What quickly became apparent was the defensive focus of the Tigers. Though the possession was in UCF's favor, the Knights could not break the Memphis defense, most notably goalkeeper Parker Lackland. The Dallas, Texas native recorded four saves in the first half, parrying everything the Knights would throw his way.

Memphis played with more offensive aggression in the second half, yet found UCF's defense tough to break down in the midfield. The Tigers still broke through several times, but could not find the back of the net.

The stalemate would finally be broken in the 85^th minute on a UCF goal. Countering a Memphis drive, the Knights were able to get a shot off inside the 18-yard box, sneaking one into the lower right corner of the net.

Pressing forward, the Tigers fought for a tying score for the remaining five minutes, but were unsuccessful in doing so, dropping their first road match of the season.

"Anything less than a win on Tuesday is unacceptable. I think our guys are mature enough to set aside the emotion of it being senior day to see it through," Mulrooney said of Tuesday's upcoming match. "If we want to reach our goals and take this program to new heights, we have to win."

With a spot in the AAC Championships already locked up, the Tigers now turn their attention to USF on Tuesday. With a win, Memphis would host a first-round match in the tournament, while a loss could drop the Tigers as low as the fifth seed. Celebrating Senior Day, the Tigers host USF at 7 p.m. at Park Avenue Campus.