No. 19 Tigers Fall in Double Overtime, 1-0

Sunday, November 10

Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

1:00 PM

University of Memphis

13-2-4, 6-0-4

East Carolina

10-3-7, 5-2-3

East Carolina

Memphis

Nov 10, 2024 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – The No. 19 Memphis women's soccer team saw their three-year streak of AAC Tournament championships came to an end on Sunday afternoon, dropping a 1-0 contest to East Carolina in double overtime.

The Tigers (13-2-4, 6-0-4 AAC) battled fiercely for over 100 minutes in the Florida heat, playing to a scoreless draw after regulation and through the first overtime period. In the 106th minute, East Carolina's Annabelle Abbott fired a loose ball into the top-right corner to seal the victory via golden goal.

"I didn't think that we had a very good first half, but we responded extremely well and had a lot of the run of play. We had some decent chances, but at the end of the day every play counts, and they took their chance to put us away," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "I'm extremely proud of the group. They raised expectations every week. This was the first conference game we lost in the last two years. It stings now, but I am proud of our girls."

Senior goalkeeper Kaylie Bierman passed her first test of the game, reacting quickly to save a header with her feet in the 11th minute. Pirate goalkeeper Maeve English was also up for the challenge, saving two shots from the foot of Ashley Henderson in the first half and totaling five saves on the afternoon.

By far her most difficult and consequential save came in the 96th minute, when a goal for either side would result in victory. Ai Kitagawa slid to poke a pass into the path of Anna Hauer, whose close-range shot was batted away to keep the game level.

Ten minutes later, the Pirates would strike to win their first ever AAC title and hand Memphis its first tournament loss since 2020. Memphis out-shot East Carolina, 14-10, including 11-3 after halftime.

Henderson, Hauer, Finley Lavin and Momo Nakao were named to the AAC All-Tournament Team.

The Tigers will learn if their season continues when the NCAA Selection Show airs at 3:00 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 11.

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.