Feb. 16, 2007

MEMPHIS - The Memphis women's soccer team will face a tough slate of competition this spring as it takes on three 2006 NCAA Tournament teams in addition to rival Ole Miss as announced by head coach Brooks Monaghan on Friday.

"The way to get better is to play tough teams, and we're exited about the schedule we have lined up for this spring," Monaghan said. "The spring is an important time because it lets us look at the nucleus of our team for next season, and it gives us a chance to focus more on the individual players."

The Lady Tigers will open at home Feb. 24 when they host Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee. Memphis is scheduled to face the Commodores at 10 a.m. and will take on Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. Vanderbilt reached the NCAA Tournament in 2006 after tying for second overall in the SEC.

After a month layoff, Memphis will head to Oxford, Miss. on March 24 where they will play another double header, taking on Ole Miss at 10 a.m. and UL-Monroe at 1 p.m.

A week later, the Lady Tigers will be in Decatur, Ala. to face Oklahoma State and West Florida. Oklahoma State finished second in the Big 12 last season on their way to an NCAA birth and will be led in 2007 by All-American midfielder Yolanda Odenyo.

Memphis will return home on April 14 to take on cross-town rivals Rhodes and CBU, playing each at their respective campus. The Lady Tigers will be at Rhodes at 10 a.m. and at CBU in the afternoon.

The schedule will conclude April 21 at Saint Louis University where Memphis will face both Saint Louis and Indiana. The Billikens made their second-straight NCAA Tournament in 2006.

Memphis will be looking to replace several key losses from 2006, including two-time First-Team All-Conference USA player Shoko Mikami, as well as Melissa Savage and Nicky McLeod, both of whom started over 50 matches in their Lady Tiger careers.

"This is a great chance for some of the kids who didn't play much last season to show what they can do and really improve individually," Monaghan said. "We've always approached the spring with the mindset of evaluating individual players, and I think that has been really beneficial for us in the past."