Men's Soccer Senior Salute: Sam Ashton
6/29/2020
Ashton transferred to Memphis from Concord University, joining the Tigers in 2018. At Concord, the Portsmouth, England native led the Mountain Lions in scoring in both of his seasons with the team, logging seven goals as a freshman and nine as a sophomore. After playing a reserve role his first season as a Tiger, Ashton made the most of his senior year in Blue and Gray.
With a new home-field for the Tigers on the University's Park Avenue Campus, Ashton helped Memphis open its 2019 season with a goal in the 4-0 win over Campbell. He added another against Milwaukee in Birmingham, Alabama, picking up the game-winner on a PK.
Against then-No. 10 Xavier, Ashton had one of the best games by a Tiger in recent memory. Scoring all three goals for the Tigers, Ashton became the first Memphis player with a hat trick since 2015, scoring twice in the second half before netting the golden goal in overtime to topple the top-10 Musketeers. His overtime goal came with just over a minute left in the second overtime period, capping a brilliant performance that saw Ashton score five goals in the first five matches of the year.
Ashton continued his torrid pace, picking up a brace against SLU at home. The forward bookended the scoring for the Tigers, propelling Memphis to a 5-2 record through the first half of the season. After scoring a goal to open conference play against Cincinnati, Ashton found himself among the country's leading scorers, ranking in the top-10 for most of the year.
The forward was critical down the stretch of the season, scoring another game-winner in overtime against Tulsa. Ashton's efforts helped Memphis to a 10 win season, the first under head coach Richard Mulrooney. Ashton finished his senior season with a goal against Temple in the first round of the AAC Championship, netting his 11th goal of the year. With it, the England native logged the first season of double-digit scoring since 2012.
After an outstanding season, Ashton was named First-Team All-AAC and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second-Team. He finished his senior season with 11 goals and three assists, leading the team in scoring (11), game-winning goals (4) and shots on goal (17).
