Tigers to Host Florida Atlantic for Alumni Night

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tigers men's soccer looks to get back on track with a conference match against Florida Atlantic this Saturday at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Memphis (6-6-2, 3-1-1 AAC) is on a two-match skid, having fallen in its previous two matches to Missouri State and South Florida. Coming into this Saturday's match, the Tigers are tied for first in the American Athletic Conference with Charlotte, but Memphis currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In its most recent match, Memphis fell to South Florida by a score of 1-0. The goal came in the 33^rd minute from Tyler Richardson. Late in the second half, Pedro Faife was assessed a red card for the Bulls, allowing Memphis to play up a man for the final 18 minutes. The Tigers would muster a mere three shot attempts in those final minutes, dropping their second match in a row.

This is the first time since Aug. 26 that a Tiger was not named to the AAC's weekly awards or honor roll.

Lleyton Imparato still leads the Tigers in goal contributions with nine (four goals, five assists). The defensive triangle of Jackson Kim and Logan Longo at center backs and Filip Sabatti in net are the three Tigers to have eclipsed the 1000-minutes played mark. Kim and Longo, along with Luciano Galizzi, are still the only Memphis players to have started in every match.

Florida Atlantic (6-4-3, 2-2-1 AAC) enters Saturday on a four-match winning streak, having just defeated Stetson, 5-1, in a continuation of a match that was postponed earlier in the season. In the Owls' most recent full match, they traveled to Fort Myers, where they would defeat Florida Gulf Coast, 3-0.

The Owls carry a balanced offensive attack. Mamadou Diarra and Noah Kvifte are tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece. A total of eight players have found the back of the net for Florida Atlantic this season. The Owls also love to get everyone involved, as 14 players have recorded an assist. At least four Owls have four or more assists, being Aboubacar Traore (eight), Mamadou Diarra (five), Sebastian Zettl (four) and Arthur Widiez (four). Traore, Diarra and Widiez, along with defender Callum Frogson, have started all 12 of Florida Atlantic's matches.

Nacho Alfaro had spent most of this season between the sticks for the Owls, but Francisco Ranieri was thrust into a starting role due to an injury to Alfaro during Florida Atlantic's victory over South Florida, and he has been in net ever since. The sophomore from the Inter Miami 2 academy has only allowed one goal on nine shots on goal.

The series between Memphis and Florida Atlantic is knotted at 1-1-1. Other than a nonconference draw in 1993, the Tigers and Owls have only been conference opponents during the prior two seasons. In the 2023 season, Florida Atlantic earned a 1-0 victory on its home field, with current Owl Noah Kvifte scoring the game-winner.

The Tigers will finish their season on the road. The team travels to Miami, Fla. to play the Panthers of Florida International to cap off the regular season in a match that could possibly determine the regular season conference champion. The match is set for Friday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m., and will be broadcast 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.

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Players Mentioned

Luciano Galizzi

Lleyton Imparato

Jackson Kim

Logan Longo

Filip Sabatti