Tanaka, Rodrigues dos Santos Convert in Tigers Win Over UCA

Monday, September 4

Conway, Ark.

6 p.m.

University of Memphis

3-0-1, 0-0-0

Central Arkansas

0-3-1, 0-0-0

Memphis

Central Ark.

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Tanaka, Rodrigues dos Santos Convert in Tigers Win Over UCA

Sep 04, 2023 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

CONWAY, Ark. – The Memphis Tiger men's soccer team kept their undefeated streak alive tonight after they collected a win off two goals in the final five minutes of the match over Central Arkansas. Memphis would come away with the 2-1 over the Bears.

"We knew that UCA is a good team going into the match and I thought we played really well tonight," said head men's soccer coach Richard Mulrooney. "This team is resilient, and it showed when we made a couple of changes in the second half. I'm just so proud of the boys for not giving up and having that 'never say die' attitude."

Following tonight's game, Memphis moves to 3-0-1 for the season.

KEY MOMENTS

After a back-and-forth first half saw the Tigers with multiple chances go unanswered, Memphis and Central Arkansas would take a 0-0 game into halftime.
The Tigers would come out swinging in the second half getting looks from Brandon Brackett, Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos and Anders Bordoy that just nearly missed.
UCA would take the lead in the 64' when Jerry Gutierrez snuck one past Colin Welsh deep in the box.
With the clock winding down to five minutes left in the match, Kodai Tanaka would notch his first goal of the season off a rebounded shot to tie the match at 1-1.
Getting down to the final seconds of the match, Memphis took a corner kick with 27 second left on the clock; Tanaka would find the Rodrigues dos Santos who found the back of the net to give the Tigers the 2-1 lead.
The Memphis defense would hold steady in the final seconds of the match to claim the 2-1 victory.

NOTABLES

Welsh recorded his fourth win of the season facing just one shot on-goal tonight.
Rodrigues dos Santos picks up his fourth goal of the season and his third game-winning goal this year.
Memphis dominated on the offensive end firing off 20 shots tonight compared to the Bears six.
This is the second consecutive win against Central Arkansas where Memphis has made a comeback.

UP NEXT

Memphis will be back at the Track & Soccer Complex this Friday, Sept. 8 when they host Belmont. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage available on ESPN+.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.