University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, February 6
Memphis, Tenn.
3:30 p.m.
University of Memphis
0-1-0, 0-1-0
0
vs
2
#8 SMU
1-0-0, 1-0-0
1
2
F
SMU
1
1
2
Memphis
0
0
0
Photo by: Eric Glemser
Tigers drop 2-0 battle against No. 8 SMU
Feb 06, 2021 | Men's Soccer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis men's soccer dropped a 2-0 decision against the No. 8 SMU Mustangs in its season opener on Saturday evening at Park Avenue Campus.
The Mustangs capitalized via a pair of goals off of set pieces to claim the victory. SMU outshot Memphis 8-7, while both squads put four shots on goal. SMU drew seven corners to Memphis' three.
"Credit to SMU. The played well and deserved the win. They found the goals and kept the shutout," head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "It's a learning lesson for us. We were able to learn a lot about our team individually and collectively. A lot of these guys haven't played in a long time, and it's no excuse, we expect to compete and win. But at the end of the day we're going to take this week and prep for the next one."
Memphis and SMU balanced possession in the opening minutes of the match, with the Tigers posting the first two shots of the day.
SMU broke the stalemate with 12 seconds remaining in the first half when Tobin Shanks found the back of the net off a free kick just outside the box. The Mustangs then extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 73rd minute after a loose ball off a corner kick trickled into the goal.
Six Tigers made their Blue and Gray debuts Saturday, with Ntezey Swalita, Brandon Brackett, Emanuel Santos and Luke Kelly drawing starts.
Caden Well and Michael Chappelear also made their Memphis debuts as substitutes. Chappelear tallied three shots on the day, with all three strikes coming on target.
"We didn't give up any goals against the run-of-play, and I thought we defended well. It was set plays. That's something we'll focus on even more," Mulrooney added. "I'm not happy about a loss, but I like what I've got here. We've got some work to do going into Tulsa next week."
The Tigers return to action Saturday against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in their first road match of the season. Kickoff from Tulsa is set for 7 p.m.
The Mustangs capitalized via a pair of goals off of set pieces to claim the victory. SMU outshot Memphis 8-7, while both squads put four shots on goal. SMU drew seven corners to Memphis' three.
"Credit to SMU. The played well and deserved the win. They found the goals and kept the shutout," head coach Richard Mulrooney said. "It's a learning lesson for us. We were able to learn a lot about our team individually and collectively. A lot of these guys haven't played in a long time, and it's no excuse, we expect to compete and win. But at the end of the day we're going to take this week and prep for the next one."
Memphis and SMU balanced possession in the opening minutes of the match, with the Tigers posting the first two shots of the day.
SMU broke the stalemate with 12 seconds remaining in the first half when Tobin Shanks found the back of the net off a free kick just outside the box. The Mustangs then extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 73rd minute after a loose ball off a corner kick trickled into the goal.
Six Tigers made their Blue and Gray debuts Saturday, with Ntezey Swalita, Brandon Brackett, Emanuel Santos and Luke Kelly drawing starts.
Caden Well and Michael Chappelear also made their Memphis debuts as substitutes. Chappelear tallied three shots on the day, with all three strikes coming on target.
"We didn't give up any goals against the run-of-play, and I thought we defended well. It was set plays. That's something we'll focus on even more," Mulrooney added. "I'm not happy about a loss, but I like what I've got here. We've got some work to do going into Tulsa next week."
The Tigers return to action Saturday against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in their first road match of the season. Kickoff from Tulsa is set for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
SMU
MEM
Goals
2
0
Shots
8
7
Shots on Goal
4
4
Saves
3
2
Corners
7
3
Fouls
14
17
Scoring Plays
Tobin Shanks (1)
Assisted By: Noah Hilt
GOAL by SMU Shanks, Tobin Assist by Hilt, Noah.
44:46
Thomas Haney (1)
Assisted By: Knut Ahlander
GOAL by SMU Haney, Thomas Assist by Ahlander, Knut.
72:07
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
M/F
/ Men's SoccerM/F
/ Men's Soccer
D
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