Oct. 28, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -

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The Memphis Tigers will set off for Conway, Ark., on Wednesday to take on the Central Arkansas Bears at Farris Field at 7 p.m. Memphis enters the match with a 5-9-1 record. UCA is currently 2-11-1.

Memphis is coming off of a disappointing result with No. 11 Tulsa. The Tigers were defeated by the Golden Hurricane, 5-1. The score at halftime was 2-1. Wednesday's game with the Central Arkansas Bears will mark the final non-conference match for the Tigers. Memphis is 2-6-1 this season in matches outside of Conference USA. The Tigers only two non-conference wins came against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and te Missouri State Bears. Memphis enters the match with a 3-1-0 record against Central Arkansas. This year's match will be the first time Memphis has played Central Arkansas in Conway. In last season's match-up at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex, the U of M came away with a 3-0 victory.

"It is good to be going to Central Arkansas missing a few players," said Head Coach Richie Grant. "It will be an opportunity for several of our players to get some important minutes. We are trying to stabilize are back four as we move towards the conference tournament."

Central Arkansas is 2-11-1. Their only two wins this season came against Belmont and Rider. Coach Chad Flanders boasts a young ball club with only one senior currently on the roster. The Bears are led by sophomore midfielder Adam Schwabauer who has contributed two goals so far this season. It is the second game in a row that will pit two former Broken Arrow High School teammates against eachother. Last week Tulsa's Austin Neil and Thomas Shannon, both natives of Broken Arrow, Okla., faced off as the No. 11 Tulsa Golden Hurricane thwarted Memphis' hopes for an upset, defeating the Tigers, 5-1. This week Shannon and Schwabauer, will take the field for the first time as opponents.

Central Arkansas' goal is protected by freshman Greg Brooks. Brooks has a 2.31 goals against average while posting 55 saves.

The U of M has been led recently by Parker Duncan, a freshman from Johnson City, Tenn. With recent injuries to Ryan Ruble and Brian Farrell, Duncan has been relied upon to score goals for the Memphis offense. The newcomer has scored four goals in four games for the Tigers and has been a staple in the Memphis line-up since coming up big for the U of M in their upset of No. 15 SMU. Duncan was responsible for giving the SMU defense fits and helping set up several opportunities for the Tigers. He currently leads Memphis in points with eight. Bra

Bradley Jacobs, another Tiger freshman, stepped up big for the first assist of his career on Sunday against Tulsa. The native of Franklin, Tenn., played key minutes for Memphis from his midfielder position.

The back four has been solid for the Tigers this season. Michael Coburn, a senior captain, has earned C-USA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors so far this year. The native of Dundalk, Ireland, has two game-winning goals this season. Also in the back four, Rick Alleman has been as steady as they come. The native of Spring, Texas, has started every game of his Memphis career in his three seasons in the Blue and Gray. Thomas Hyland, a senior from Dublin, Ireland, has also been very reliable for the Tigers as a fullback this season.

Michael Goodlett has served as the Memphis goalie this season. He has posted a 1.41 goals against average and has 62 saves this season. Goodlett has three shutouts on the season.

Memphis will return to conference play on Saturday, Nov. 1, when they return home to face the Marshall Thundering Herd. The game will be the final match for Memphis' six seniors and will be a part of Tommy Smith Alumni Weekend. Memphis will say goodbye to seniors Michael Coburn, Sean Goulding, Tripp Harkins, Thomas Hyland, Jordan Lynn and Robert Sausaman in a post-season ceremony.