Oct. 30, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis men's soccer team will take on No. 15 Tulsa on Sun., Nov. 1 at Hurricane Soccer Stadium in Tulsa, Okla. The game will be aired on tape delay on CBS College Sports on Tues., Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. (CST). The game will be called by Jason Knapp and Shep Messing.

Memphis enters the game with a 6-6-2 record (2-4-0 C-USA). The Tigers get back into conference play after two matches against non-conference foes. The Tigers defeated SIU-Edwardsville, 2-0, on Sat., Oct. 24, but fell 3-1 to Alabama A&M on Wed., Oct. 28 in Memphis. Memphis currently has six points in the Conference USA standings. The Tigers final two games against Tulsa and South Carolina are must-win contests for the boys from the Bluff City.

Tulsa comes into the match with a 10-4-2 record. The Golden Hurricane is currently tied with UAB for first place in the Conference USA standings. Tulsa comes into Sunday's televised match garnering a national ranking. Tulsa is currently rated No. 15 by Top Drawer Soccer. The Golden Hurricane is rated in all five major men's soccer polls going into Sunday's match.

"Tulsa is a program that we have great respect for," said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. "They have been at the top of our league for the last three seasons. Tulsa plays the most exciting brand of football in the conference. This is a match that will be a great test to find out where we are at as a team after suffering a tough loss to Alabama A&M."

Memphis has been led by defender Thomas Shannon, a native of Broken Arrow, Okla., over the last few weeks. Shannon, who suffered an injury early in the season, has bounced back to be a vital cog in both the defensive backfield and with his recent goal scoring. Shannon has connected on two penalty kicks over the last two games for the Tigers, sureing up an area of concern for the Tigers coming out of last season. Memphis missed several penalty kick opportunities last season. Shannon joins freshman midfielder Jon Wright as the two natives of Tulsa on the Memphis roster.

In goal, Michael Goodlett has been a key player for the Tigers over the last few weeks. Goodlett was named Grant's "Man of the Match" following the SIU-Edwardsville victory after the senior netminder came up with several vital stops against the Cougars. Goodlett finished the game with eight saves, a season-high. Goodlett comes into the match with a 1.32 goals against average and 49 saves.

Tulsa's offense comes into Sunday's fixture as one of the most explosive in the conference. The Golden Hurricane currently leads C-USA in points (95) and goals (31). Tulsa is led by a trio of offensive gems, led by reigning C-USA Player of the Year Ashley McInnes. McInnes comes into the match with six goals and three assists.

Joining McInnes up front is Jose Parada, the senior from Houston, Texas, has seven goals and three assists coming into Sunday.

Tulsa also boasts Austin Neil, a 6-3 180 pound forward, whose size proves beneficial to the Tulsa attack. The former high school teammate of Memphis' Thomas Shannon, has six goals and three assists for Tom McIntosh' squad. Neil joined McInnes on the All-C-USA second team last season. He was also named to the All-Freshman team.

In goal, Andy Aguilar, a senior from Downey, Calif., has had big shoes to fill replacing MLS draft-pick Tyrel Lacey, a first-team All-C-USA selection in 2008. Aquilar comes into Sunday's fixture with a 1.24 goals against average and 55 saves.

Tulsa won last year's contest between the two Conference USA rivals, 5-1. The game was also aired on CBS College Sports last season. Memphis went into half-time down 2-1 to the Golden Hurricane, but gave up three second-half goals to their foes from the Sooner State.

Memphis enters the game with a 2-2-1 record all-time in televised matches. Sunday's match will mark the fifth game in two seasons that has been televised for the Memphis men's soccer program. Memphis picked up a 1-1 draw to begin the season against the Bradley Braves in Fox Soccer Channel's "NSCAA Men's Soccer Game of the Week." The Tigers also played a match on CBS C earlier this season against the SMU Mustangs, but fell to their C-USA foes.

"We think it's fantastic to get so much television coverage for the program," Grant said. "Hopefully we can go out and perform well against Tulsa."

Memphis will finish the season on Nov. 7 at home against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The match will serve as senior night for Rick Alleman, Brian Farrell and Michael Goodlett. The trio has been vital for the growth of the program since arriving on campus in 2006.

Prior to the final match of the season, an alumni game will be played at 4:30 p.m., at the main stadium at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The game will pit two teams made up of Memphis soccer alumni and current Memphis coaches. Also, Friday prior to the match, the program will host the annual Tommy Smith Banquet in the lobby of the Murphy Athletic Complex on the Park Avenue Campus. Admission is free for the banquet.