Oct. 4, 2009

Final Stats

Memphis, Tenn. -

The University of Memphis women’s soccer team bounced back after a Friday night loss for the fourth time this season to knock off Colorado College, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

Memphis improves to 8-4-1 on the season and owns a 3-1 C-USA record. Colorado College falls to 7-4-1 on the season with a 3-1 C-USA record. Memphis is tied for first place in C-USA with today’s victory after UTEP lost at UAB 1-0 in overtime.

"It is a great win against a very good team,” said head coach Brooks Monaghan. “In the big picture of Conference USA this is a big win. It was also huge for us to be able to bounce back from our loss on Friday to UTEP."

Junior forward Amanda Olszewski netted the game-winner in the 37th minute to give the Lady Tigers the 1-0 halftime lead. Memphis did not record a shot until the 36th minute as the Colorado College defense stymied the Memphis offensive attack. Colorado College outshot Memphis 7-5 in the first half but only placed on shot on goal compared to Memphis’ five shots on goal. Junior forward Ashley Berra notched her third assist of the season on Olszewski’s goal.

"I thought the first five to 10 minutes we played well,” Monaghan said. “We played our possession style (of offense). Credit Colorado College because they took it to us for most of the first half and we dodged some bullets. We were fortunate to get a goal (in the first half) and I thought we could have squeaked another one in. I walked away at the halftime saying, 'girls we kind of stole this to get it to 1-0 but the positive is we are up 1-0 and we have to change our mentality in the second half’.”

Berra netted her team-leading seventh goal of the season in the 71st minute to set the final score at 2-0. The Cordova, Tenn. native, received a pass from midfield by Brittany Baldwin to notch her 18th career goal at the U of M. Berra tied four Lady Tigers for fifth place in the career goal ranks and is tied with Vendula Strnadova for career goals by current Lady Tigers. Baldwin notched her first assist of the season on Berra’s goal.

"We changed our style of play a little bit (in the second half) based on the way Colorado College was playing and based on what we saw,” Monaghan said. “We played a little bit more direct than we normally play but it paid off. I thought in the second half, it was a battle but we were much better. I thought we came out with more energy in the second half and controlled most of the second half (offensively)."

Colorado College ended the match having outshot the Lady Tigers 12-8 but only placed four shots on goal. Memphis placed seven shots on goal in the match led by Olszewski’s three, Berra’s two, and one by Baldwin and Lizzy Simonin.

Reigning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Elise Kuhar-Pitters recorded four saves in Sunday’s victory. Kuhar-Pitters tied former Lady Tiger Heather Chinellato for fourth place on the career goalkeeping victories list with her 15th victory. The Spokane, Wash. native, recorded her third shutout of the C-USA schedule and her sixth shutout of the season to pull within five shutouts of second place in the career ranks for goalkeeping shutouts. Her six shutouts in the 2009 season place her in a tie for the third-most in a single season.

The U of M had played Colorado College two times prior to Sunday’s match and fallen short in both matches which were played in 2008 and 2006 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Memphis’ 2-0 victory Sunday marks the first time the winner of a match between the two teams has won by more than goal.

The Lady Tigers travel to Houston for a pair of C-USA matches against the Houston Cougars on Friday Oct. 9th and the Rice Owls on Sunday Oct. 11th. CBS College Sports Network will be taping the match versus Rice which will air on Oct. 13th at 6 pm on CBS College Sports Network.