Men's Soccer Start Season with Brilliant 4-0 Win

Friday, August 30

Memphis, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

0-0-0, 0-0-0

Campbell

0-0-0, 0-0-0

Campbell

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Aug 30, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Shutout win featured a Tiger defense that allowed zero shots

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis men's soccer team started the 2019 season with a comfortable 4-0 win against Campbell on Friday night. The exclamation point on the shutout came from the Tiger defense, which allowed zero shots from the visiting Camels.

Four Tigers scored on the evening, bookended with goals from senior defender Ben Roberts and freshman midfielder Jovan Prado.

"It's always good to get the first one behind you, there's a ton of excitement. We've been looking forward to this one since the end of last year," Head coach Richard Mulrooney said of Game One. "I thought the guys showed up tonight and competed. Obviously the shutout, if you don't give up goals you can't lose."

A red card in the fifth minute threatened to set the Camels back early on, yet Campbell stood strong for the better part of the first half, holding the Tigers at bay.

Memphis finally put on the scoreboard off of a 34^th minute strike. Artur De Luca, who subbed into the match just moments prior, launched a corner kick deep across the box. On the receiving end was Roberts, who connected on the header to give Memphis the first-half lead.

Memphis attempted to extend the lead deep into the first half, earning a corner kick in the 42^nd minute, but the attempt was cleared by the Camel defense.

The second half featured more Memphis offense, with several deep runs into Campbell territory being fended off by the visitors. Off of a Campbell corner in the 51^st minute, Memphis took the ball and raced off on the counter attack. Sophomore midfielder Gurman Sangha drove into the box and launched a shot, but right into the keeper's hands.

Senior midfielder Sam Ashton took a pass from transfer junior Christoforos Kourtis and fired it home to create some breathing room for the Tigers. Ashton provided pressure up top all evening, creating looks for the Tigers before earning his own.

Memphis added to the lead in the 57^th minute, as freshman midfielder Brendan Dexter found a hole in the defense to feed Prado with his first collegiate goal, growing the lead to three. The combo marked the first points in both players' Tiger careers.

"They don't just get minutes, those are earned. They came in this summer fit and they've proved in practice that they deserve a role," Mulrooney said of the first-year players. "They're getting these minutes now because they're going to have to show up when we're down in a match. Giving them minutes now is important."

Not done there, Prado repaid the unselfish play on a two-for-one situation, dropping an absolute pocket-pass to Sangha, who finished into an empty net for the final score of the match.

While the offense was churning on all cylinders, the defense pitched one of the greatest efforts in recent memory, allowing zero shots from the opposing Camels. The outing marked the first time in 18 years, and the first time in Mulrooney's tenure as head coach, that a Memphis team has allowed zero shots from an opponent.

The Tigers look to continue the momentum on Sunday as the Wright State Raiders come to Memphis. Match time on Sunday is set for 7 p.m. Follow the Tigers on social media at /MemphisSoccer and @MemphisMSoccer for more information.