Men's Soccer Opens Season Against Campbell and Wright State

Friday, August 30

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

Campbell

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Men's Soccer Opens Season Against Campbell and Wright State

Aug 29, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Tigers to face Camels on Friday before hosting Raiders on Sunday

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – After a trio of exhibition matches, the University of Memphis men's soccer team prepares to open the regular season this weekend. Friday officially marks the first match of the 2019 season as the Tigers take on the Campbell Camels, followed by a battle with Wright State on Sunday. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. start times and are at the Park Avenue Campus' Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex.

MATCH INFORMATION:

Friday, August 30
Memphis vs. Campbell
Location: Memphis, Tenn. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex
Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer
Live Stats | Watch

Sunday, September 1
Memphis vs. Wright State
Location: Memphis, Tenn. – 7 p.m.
Venue: Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex
Twitter Updates: @MemphisMSoccer
Live Stats | Watch

The Memphis Tigers

As 2019 dawns on the Tigers, Memphis sports a roster that has a solid blend of experience and new faces. After ending last season with an appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals, Memphis returns its top three scorers from a season ago, along with all-conference defender Ben Roberts. Roberts enters his senior season having been voted unanimously to the AAC Preseason All-Conference team.

New to the club this season are 12 student-athletes, including four transfers. With a wide range of position players, the Tigers look deeper than they have in recent seasons. Additionally, Memphis returns several players who redshirted last season, bringing in additional talent with chemistry already in place.

Head coach Richard Mulrooney enters his sixth season at the helm, fresh off of his first conference tournament win as a member of the AAC. Mulrooney leads a team that returns to campus for home matches, playing at the Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex on Memphis' Park Avenue Campus after hosting matches at Mike Rose Soccer Complex for almost two decades.

A Look at the Competition

Campbell opens its 2019 season after being voted to finish second in the Big South preseason poll. The Camels finished 2018 with a 9-9-3 record after winning the Big South Championship and making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to the team's preseason nod, senior defender Gideon Betz was chosen as the conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. From his backline post, Betz scored three goals and recorded an assist last season, leading a defense that registered eight shutouts. Of the eight clean sheets, three of them came in the conference tournament, as the Camels allowed zero goals en route to their championship.

Campbell is coached by Dustin Fonder, now entering his fifth season. His Camels squad led the Big South in goals, assists, points and shutouts last season.

On Sunday, the Tigers play Wright State, who finished 2018 with a 13-3-3 record and landed at No. 29 in the final NCAA RPI rankings at the conclusion of last season. The Raiders' season ended after falling in the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament, dropping a 3-1 decision to UIC.

Wright State sported a team that scored 44 goals on the year, while only surrendering 21 scores. The team brings back two United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second-Team members in midfielders Jackson Dietrich and Deri Corfe. In addition, the Raiders return four other athletes that earned all-conference honors after last season.

Because of the depth and individuals brought back from last season's success, the team was voted to win the Horizon league in the preseason poll.

One name that will not appear on the roster for Wright State this season is Dan Bent, who graduated at the end of last season. Bent was named to three All-American teams following his senior season. He was also a two-time Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference.

Head coach of the Raiders is Jake Slemker, who was named the Horizon League's Coach of the Year after his first season at the helm.

Final Information

A live stream of both matches are available at GoTigersGo.com. For more information on the Memphis men's soccer team, follow the Tigers on Facebook at /MemphisSoccer and on Twitter and Instagram at @MemphisMSoccer.