Men's Soccer Claims Second Clean Sheet in 2-0 Win Over Belmont

Tuesday, September 17

Nashville, Tenn.

7:00 PM

University of Memphis

4-2-0, 0-0-0

Belmont

0-5-1, 0-0-0

Memphis

Belmont

Photo by: Michael Wade

Men's Soccer Claims Second Clean Sheet in 2-0 Win Over Belmont

Sep 17, 2019 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Alexandros Ierides scores twice in victory

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Memphis men's soccer team wrapped up a four-game slate away from home with a win over Belmont Tuesday night. A goal in each half, combined with a defense that allowed zero shots on goal, propelled the Tigers over the Bruins.

A goal at the end of the first half from Alexandros Ierides set the stage for another score from the midfielder in the second half. Ierides put in a second goal in the early minutes of the second half to pull away from the Bruins.

"We know what type of player Alex is, we saw that last year. He got his opportunities tonight, and he made the most of them," Head coach Richard Mulrooney said of Ierides. "This was a game where someone needed to step up. He came into the game focused, it paid off, and I'm happy for him, he's worked hard for us this year."

Memphis got off to a hot start, launching a pair of shots before six minutes had passed. Neither found the net, but it was a sign on things to come for the Tigers.

Momentum switched to the Bruins for the middle of the first half, as Belmont was able to secure a corner kick in the 17^th minute and take shots in the 22^nd and the 33^rd minutes. Yet the Memphis defense held strong, forcing both shots to go off target.

The Tigers regained control of the momentum deep into the first half, taking corner kicks in the 36^th and 40^th minutes. Peyton McKnatt was able to get a shot off in the 43^rd minute of action, but sailed it over the goal.

Subbing in at the 39-minute mark, Ierides came in to apply pressure on the wing for the close of the first half. After playing only seven minutes, the junior was able to find the back of the net off of the assist from Gurman Sangha. The score marked Ierides' first of the season.

The second half started uneventfully until Ierides finished his second score of the night in the 57^th minute off of an assist from Jackson Morse. The assist was Morse's first point of the season.

For the remainder of the match, the teams battled back and forth in the middle third of the field, neither team able to grab ahold of much of an advantage. A Memphis corner kick in the 62^nd minute marked one of the better chances in the later stage for either teams.

Ierides almost completed a natural hat trick in the 81^st minute but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Defensively, Memphis allowed just two shots in the match, neither of them getting to goalkeeper Parker Lackland. The shutout is the second of the year for Lackland, who now holds a 1.29 goals allowed average. It is also the second time this season that Lackland has not had to record a save in a shutout win, just like against Campbell.

"We came in tonight with a game plan of how we wanted to defend Belmont," Mulrooney commented. "It's tough to limit any team, but defense was key at every position, from the keeper to the forwards. When everybody is on the same page, defense is a little easier."

Memphis finally returns home for a match at the Billy J. Murphy Track & Soccer Complex for the first time since Sept. 8. The Tigers will face Saint Louis on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. Follow the Tigers on social media at /MemphisSoccer and @MemphisMSoccer for more information.