Tigers Return Home to Face Conference Foes Tulsa, Charlotte

Thursday, October 8

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

Tulsa

Tigers Return Home to Face Conference Foes Tulsa, Charlotte

Oct 07, 2026 | Women's Soccer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis women's soccer team returns to action this week with a pair of American Conference matches at home, hosting Tulsa on Thursday before welcoming Charlotte to town Sunday.

The Tigers will take on the Golden Hurricane at 7 p.m. Thursday before facing the 49ers at 11 a.m. Sunday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

Memphis returns to the pitch following its bye week, having last played during a two-match Florida road swing against South Florida on Sept. 24 and Florida Atlantic on Sept. 27.

The Tigers earned a point in their first contest with a 1-1 draw at South Florida, outshooting the Bulls 25-2 with a 12-2 advantage in shots on goal. Freshman Abby Forsgren provided the Memphis goal, finding the back of the net for the third time this season.

Memphis followed with an offensive outburst at Florida Atlantic, scoring a season-high five goals in a 5-0 victory. Taliah Brooks, Zerina Markovic, Ellis Kelly and Grayson Williams all found the back of the net, with Williams scoring twice in just 16 minutes off the bench.

The Tigers enter the week sitting second in the American Conference standings, two points behind UAB with a game in hand.

SCOUTING REPORT

Game One: vs. Tulsa

Tulsa enters Thursday's matchup with a 6-4-2 record and sits eighth in the American Conference standings and No. 142 in the NCAA RPI. The Golden Hurricane fell 3-1 at home to Charlotte in their most recent match.

Tulsa has yet to earn a result against a team currently ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA RPI. The Golden Hurricane's best result came in a 3-0 road victory over No. 108 Rice, while they played No. 244 East Texas A&M to a draw at home.

Memphis leads the all-time series, 16-2-4, and enters Thursday riding a two-match winning streak and a 13-match unbeaten run against the Golden Hurricane. The Tigers are 9-0-1 all-time against Tulsa at home and have not lost in the series since Oct. 19, 2012.

The programs met last season in Tulsa in a physical contest that featured five yellow cards. Finley Lavin converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute for the second goal of her career, providing the difference in a 1-0 Memphis victory.

The Golden Hurricane are led by head coach Jim Rhein, who owns a 40-44-21 record in his sixth season with the program.

Tulsa features three players who have scored at least five goals this season. Sophomore Presley Boyd leads the attack with six goals and 17 points, while junior Aniya Facen has totaled five goals and 15 points and junior Blaine Schutte has recorded five goals and 11 points.

The Golden Hurricane carry an American Conference-leading plus-16 goal differential, aided by a 13-0 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (currently last in NCAA RPI) on Sept. 20. Tulsa ranks second nationally in yellow cards (26), fourth in shot accuracy (.574) and 16th in both total goals (31) and total assists (31).

Game Two: vs. Charlotte

Charlotte enters the week with a 6-4-1 record and sits third in the American Conference standings and No. 43 in the NCAA RPI. The 49ers earned three points last week with a 3-1 road victory over Tulsa behind two goals from Evie Craven and another from Annabelle Walker.

Charlotte's top result this season came on the road against No. 22 RPI Mississippi State, where the 49ers earned a 3-0 victory. Their lowest-ranked loss came against No. 161 Florida Atlantic, which defeated Charlotte 3-2 at home on Sept. 17.

Charlotte leads the all-time series, 9-6, after winning the first nine meetings between the programs. Memphis broke through with its first victory in 2004 and has won all five meetings since, carrying a six-match winning streak into Sunday.

The Tigers earned a 1-0 victory in Charlotte last season, with Taliah Brooks providing the game-winner in the 85th minute.

The 49ers are led by second-year head coach Sinead Byrne, who owns a 16-10-3 record with the program.

Senior Evie Craven leads Charlotte offensively with six goals and two assists, while Charlotte native Annabelle Walker has totaled 10 points in 10 starts. Veteran defender Rachel Logue has been a constant presence on the back line, playing every minute of the 49ers' 11 matches.

Charlotte ranks 20th nationally in shots on goal per game (8.09), 22nd in shot accuracy (.533) and 27th in yellow cards (16).

TIGER TIDBITS

Since the start of the 2023 season, the Tigers own a 55-8-9 record and an .826 win percentage. Only No. 22 Florida State (.853) has posted a higher win percentage over that span.
Memphis is 26-0-6 against conference opponents since 2023, posting a .906 win percentage. Only Milwaukee (.914) owns a higher conference win percentage over that span.
The Tigers have not lost a regular-season conference match since Oct. 27, 2022, at SMU.
Through 10 matches, Memphis has outshot its opponents 190-72, including an 86-36 advantage in shots on goal. The Tigers also hold a 70-29 advantage in corner kicks.
Head coach Brooks Monaghan has called on several newcomers to play significant roles this season:
- Freshman Miyu Morota has played 124 minutes across six matches.
- Freshman Ella Etienne has logged 78 minutes across five appearances.
- Freshman Marika Martineau has appeared in all 10 matches, totaling 203 minutes.
- Freshman Neko Michell has played 151 minutes across five matches and earned her first career start at No. 8 Ohio State.
- Transfer Zerina Markovic has logged 372 minutes across all 10 matches, scoring one goal and adding one assist.
- Freshman Abby Forsgren has made an immediate impact, starting all 10 matches and playing 865 of a possible 900 minutes. She has recorded three goals, five assists, 28 shots and 15 shots on goal.
- Transfer Natalie Dvorakova has played 263 minutes across seven matches, earning two starts and scoring the first goal of her collegiate career.
- Freshman Maira Boosman has taken on a significant role in the Tigers' back line, making eight starts in 10 appearances and totaling 650 minutes.
Several returning Tigers have also taken on expanded roles this season:
- Sophomore goalkeeper Ava Galani has moved into the starting role, playing 890 of a possible 900 minutes in net and recording three shutouts.
- Sophomore Ava Gaida has started seven of her 21 career appearances, with all seven starts coming this season.
- Redshirt freshman Grayson Williams made her first appearance as a Tiger this season before earning her first career start at No. 8 Ohio State. Williams recorded the first two goals of her career in the Tigers' 5-0 win at Florida Atlantic, scoring twice in just 16 minutes off the bench.

For the Tigers' most recent and up-to-date schedule, click HERE.

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