Memphis/Southern Miss PDF Box Score

Sept. 25, 2009

Final Stats

POPLARVILLE, Miss. - The Memphis women's soccer team used two second half goals to upend the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 2-0, on Friday night to give Coach Brooks Monaghan his 100th career victory as the U of M's head coach. The game was moved from the Marshall Bell Complex in Hattiesburg, Miss., to the Pearl River Community College Soccer Field in Poplarville, Miss., due to heavy rain in Southern Mississippi over the past week.

With the win the Lady Tigers improve to 6-3-0 (1-0-0 C-USA). The Golden Eagles fall to 4-3-0 (0-1-0 C-USA) on the year.

"For us it was really a tale of two halves," said Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan. "I give credit to Southern Miss in the first half. They came out extremely hungry. We really didn't settle down until the second half. Once we settled down I thought we played well. At moments we were brilliant. When we are able to play possession-oriented soccer we are at our best. When we play very direct, that just isn't our game and we did that in the first half. I am pleased with the result and it is great to get the first (conference) win under our belt."

Memphis out-shot USM 6-3 in the first half. The Lady Tigers had three shots on goal compared to two shots on goal for the Golden Eagles. Freshmen Bailey Pembroke, Taylor Isenhower and Averi Hallman accounted for Memphis' first half attempts.

The U of M came out of the dressing room at half-time and tallied a quick second half goal off of an Ashley Berra strike from 25 yards out in the 50th minute of play. The goal was Berra's team-leading sixth of the 2009 season.

The Lady Tigers struck again four minutes later when Isenhower, a freshman from Lenexa, Kan., finished a Berra cross with her second career goal. The assist was Berra's second of the season. Berra leads the team in points with 14 in her junior campaign.

Sophomore goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters picked up the win for Memphis, improving to 5-3-0 on the season. The native of Spokane, Wash., has allowed six goals in eight games for the Lady Tigers and has accumulated 13 saves.

Southern Miss goalkeeper Holly Cox falls to 4-2-0 on the year. The London, England product had allowed only four goals coming into Friday's match. She has amassed 20 saves this season.

Berra and Isenhower led the Lady Tigers with two shots on goal apiece. Memphis finished the game with 18 shots and nine shots on goal. Southern Miss had five shots and three shots on goal. The Lady Tigers are out-shooting their opponents by a tune of 81 shots on goal to 26 shots on goal for their opponents.

Monaghan, currently in his 10th season at the helm of the Memphis women's soccer program, eclipses the 100 win plateau after leading the program to back-to-back Conference USA Championships in 2007 and 2008. Monaghan became the school's winningest coach in 2004, surpassing Les Szabo.

"Honestly I really had no clue this was my 100th win," Monaghan said. "It is great. Every game is as important as the next. The credit really goes out to the girls. They go out there and get it done. It is really great to have been here long enough to get 100 wins and see the program progress to where it is at today. Hopefully I will be able to get a few more wins in my career at Memphis."

The Lady Tigers will take on the UCF Knights on Sun., Sept. 27 at the UCF Track and Soccer Complex in Orlando, Fla., at 12 p.m. (CST). The game will be aired on tape delay on CBS College Sports on Tues., Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. (CST). The Lady Tigers defeated the UCF Knights, 2-0, to capture the 2007 Conference USA Tournament Championship. Last season, the Knights and Lady Tigers split the programs' two meetings with UCF defeating Memphis, 2-1, in overtime during the regular season and the U of M upending UCF, 2-0, in the second round of the 2008 C-USA Tournament.