Oct. 2, 2009

Final Stats

Memphis, Tenn. -

Box Score

The Lady Tiger soccer team faced adversity Friday as UTEP raced to a 3-0 halftime lead but Memphis rallied to make the final score 3-2 Friday night at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

"It was a really strange game tonight because overall I thought offensively we played extremely well and got a lot of chances,” said head coach Brooks Monaghan. “There are two parts (of our game) we need to improve on. Offensively we need to be able to bury our chances because we had more chances than they did. Secondly, defensively we were not at our best. Our back line is one of the areas where we have been very good this year. I thought they had an off game tonight. Individual players always have off games but I thought as a unit we had an off game. Credit UTEP for burying their chances but we didn't defend very well.”

Lizzy Simonin started the rally for the Lady Tigers after junior forward Ashley Berra was fouled in the penalty box. Simonin connected on her second goal of the season in the 75^th minute off the penalty kick. Simonin appeared in her first action since Sept. 4^th due to injuries and played 33 minutes off the bench.

Junior midfielder Vendula Strnadova connected on her fourth goal of the season in the 84^th minute to bring Memphis within one goal of the Miners. Berra played the ball off a corner kick and UTEP defenders tried to clear the ball out of the zone. Strnadova gathered the ball about 12 yards out and fired the score past Miner goalkeeper Chandra Morden. Strnadova tied three former Lady Tigers for fifth place on the career goals ranks with her 18^th career goal.

UTEP recorded five shots in the first half with four of the five being on goal. UTEP connected on their limited opportunities to record three first half goals. UTEP forward Chelsea Winbush scored in the 14^th minute to give UTEP the 1-0 lead on an assist from forward Skye Schultz. Schultz recorded a goal of her own in the 31^st minute on an assist by Winbush. Miner forward Jo Radcliffe capped off the first half scoring for UTEP in the 35^th minute on Schultz’s second assist of the game to give UTEP the 3-0 halftime lead.

”At halftime we were down 3-0 and I have never been down 3-0 in a game and felt like we were still in the game,” Monaghan said. “I told that to the girls and 90 percent of them responded extremely well and believed. We could have tied it and gone to overtime, we had enough chances.”

Morden made nine saves in the match as Memphis outshot the Miners 24-10. UTEP also trailed Memphis in shots on goal as the Lady Tigers place 11 of 24 shots on goal. Lady Tiger goalkeeper Elise Kuhar-Pitters made three saves, two in the second half, on UTEP’s six shots on goal.

Berra and Strnadova led Memphis with six shots in the match. Strnadova recorded three shots on goal while Berra had four shots on goal. Freshman Taylor Isenhower placed one shot on goal off of three shots.

“We were unfortunate on a few that just barely missed,” Monaghan said. “Overall I am disappointed because we lost the match but there were some positives to gain from this game. We just need to rebound Sunday because it is going to be an extremely tough match (against Colorado College).” 

The Lady Tigers will return to action on Sun., Oct. 4^th, playing host to Colorado College. Colorado College has never played in the Bluff City and brings a perfect 3-0 conference record to t he Mike Rose Soccer Complex for a 1 pm kick-off on Sunday. Colorado College defeated UAB in Birmingham, Ala., on Friday night by a score of 2-0.