April 16, 2010

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Memphis men's soccer team used two first-half goals to take down the Christian Brothers Bucs, 2-1, on Friday night at Echles Field to win the Tim McCage Cup. The game served as the final exhibition tune-up for the Tigers during the spring season.

The Tigers got on the scoreboard first in the the 21st minute when freshman transfer Dennis Kennetz, Jr., placed one past the Christian Brothers goalkeeper. Kennetz got the ball after a Jordan Johnson pass from the right side was knocked around before the graduate of St. Benedict at Auburndale was able to corral the ball and play it in to the goal. Kennetz joined the team prior to the start of the spring semester after competing at Garder-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., during the fall.

Memphis added to their lead in the 35th minute when sophomore forward Parker Duncan got a lucky break when the ball hit a wet spot on the field making CBU netminder Daniel Johnson overplay the ball which left a clear net for Duncan, a native of Johnson City, Tenn.

Memphis went to the half with a 2-0 lead. The Tigers had eight shots to three attempts for the Bucs in the first period. Memphis played in five corner kicks to CBU's two in the opening frame.

In the second half, the two teams played a scoreless half until Jared Roberts of Christian Brothers took the ball after a Memphis defender overplayed it and was able to put it past Memphis netminder Jordan Leedle.

Leedle, a redshirt freshman from Franklin, Tenn., gets the win in goal for Memphis. Leedle corraled two saves on the contest.

Johnson takes the loss for Christian Brothers. Former Memphis goalkeeper Harrison Cheatham had a clean slate for the Bucs in the second period. He had two saves to his name.

Mark Sherrod and Duncan each had two shots on goal for the U of M. Sherrod had four shot attempts overall.

The U of M will return to action with an exhibition contest against Lambuth on Aug. 27 leading up to the Tigers' regular-season opener on Sept. 1 against Belmont at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

Friday's game was 10th annual Tim McCage Cup, which was named for former Memphis football Tim McCage, who played for the Tigers as a freshman in 1990 before passing away during the spring break following his freshman season.