To Liza, From Coach

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Liza is her smile.

It might sound like a cliché, but she literally always had a smile on her face. Even when I would have to get on her, she still had a smile on her face.

That's just who she was.

As a soccer player, she was very athletic and had track-like speed. She was just a worker. She always looked at things as the glass being half-full, not half-empty.

Her attitude was infectious.

Within this program, we've had a lot of success. But when she was playing here, that's when the program really took that step to the next level.

We won our first championship in 2007 when she was a sophomore. But to come in as a freshman and play in every game like she did, that's not easy. What got her on the field was her attitude and her work rate. She was a kid that you knew when she stepped on the field, she was always going to give 110 percent.

No question about that.

2007 Womens Soccer Champions — Memphis' first women's soccer championship. Eliza (Wellford) Fletcher, second row, third from left

The 2007 team was a team in the making. I remember the year before, when Liza was a freshman, I said 'this group will win a championship.' And sure enough, they did it the next year just because of people like Liza. The kind of kids willing to put their head down, trust in the system, and work. I can't say that 2007 team was our most talented team, but it was one of the most hard-working teams I've ever coached.

That was Liza.

Liza is a Memphis girl, and I'm from Memphis, so I ran into her over the years. We really reconnected a couple of years ago. She came to me about a potential player who might be a fit for Memphis who was a family friend of hers. During that time, she was coming to all of our games. She was the same old Liza. Every time I would walk up to her after a game, she still had that big smile on her face, saying 'hey Coach!'

That's what's going to stick with me forever. That smile she always had on her face.

We were on the road when the news came out, and we had a team meeting. That's when I let the girls know that Liza was a former player. They didn't know that she's one of them. She's someone who played for me and our program. Immediately, right away, the team was like 'Coach, what we can do? Let's do something for Liza.' It gave me a chance to tell our current team how much I love them. I'm a coach. I have to get on you, I have to coach you, I have to push you, but I love you. It was pretty amazing to see our girls say 'we want to do whatever we can, and please let us know what we can do.'

We can't put into words the sorrow we're feeling for her family, her kids and our community. I want her family to know Liza will always be a part of Memphis women's soccer. The truly positive impact on the players she played with, but also on me as a coach, will never be forgotten.

She was special.

We love you, Liza.
Brooks Monaghan Signature_crop

University of Memphis Athletics

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