No. 3 Tigers' Conference Tournament Run Ends in Penalties

Thursday, November 6

Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

6:00 p.m.

University of Memphis

16-0-3, 9-0-1

UTSA

9-5-6, 4-3-3

UTSA

Memphis

No. 3 Tigers' Conference Tournament Run Ends in Penalties

Nov 06, 2025 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – No. 3 Memphis women's soccer was defeated via penalty shootout by UTSA in the American Conference Semifinals on Thursday night at the Premier Sports Campus.

The Tigers (16-0-3, 9-0-1 American) went up 3-1 with just over five minutes remaining thanks to late goals from Ally Casey and Elise Perron, but the Roadrunners (9-5-6, 4-3-3 American) rallied to save their season with two quick goals. After 20 minutes of extra time, when a goal from either side would have won it, the match went to penalties, where UTSA would win the shootout, 3-1.

"I'm just gutted for the girls; it wasn't a perfect game, but we fought hard through a lot of emotions," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "It wasn't like us, that end of the game. Once we went up two goals, we started just kicking the ball away which played into their hands. We responded well, just wasn't our night. I'm proud of where we are, this isn't the end of the season so we have to let this fuel us the right way."

An intensity fit for any elimination contest, UTSA executed its physical game plan and were able to turn it into the opening goal in the 32nd minute via Zoe May. Abby Kudla made an initial save, but Memphis could not steer the ball clear of safety before May rolled it into the net.

As it has been most of the season, the Tiger response was swift and effective, equalizing less than three minutes later. Ai Kitagawa's pass found Ashley Henderson in the penalty area, and the junior was able to get enough on it to find Alex Mackay who fired first time into the bottom right corner for her fourth goal of the year.

Memphis' athleticism and passing kept them marginally on the front foot in the second half, but UTSA was able to create a few decent chances via long balls and aerial duels. The deadlock was broken as the clock struck 10 minutes remaining, as Casey drove down the right flank and lofted a ball into the back of the net.

Five minutes later, Perron attacked a loose ball in the box and doubled the advantage. Just as it seemed to be the Tigers' night, UTSA created a spark from nothing, as Brooklyn Bailey pounced on a long pass, rounded the keeper and tucked it away to make it 3-2 with just over four minutes remaining.

The fifth-seeded Roadrunners found their equalizer two minutes later, again via set-piece delivery. They won the initial ball, and Aaliyaiah Durden headed home to send the match to golden goal.

After an obvious gut punch, Memphis responded well, taking control of the overtime period. Flavie Dubé went down in the box, drawing an apparent penalty, but after review, the referee overturned the original call. The match would go to penalties, where the Tigers would bow out of the conference tournament.

Memphis doubled UTSA's shot total with 26, forcing Jasmine Kessler into seven saves and earning 16 corners. Because NCAA soccer rules deem a penalty shootout as a draw for both sides, the No. 3 Tigers remain the only unbeaten team in the nation with a record of 16-0-3.

The NCAA Selection Show begins on Monday, November 11 at 3:00 p.m. on NCAA.com. Memphis is projected to receive an at-large bid and will learn their opponent and game details at that time.

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.