Feb. 22, 2005

Memphis, Tenn. - The Memphis women's soccer team will open its spring exhibition season by taking on the Japanese National Team on Wednesday night, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Echles Field on the U of M campus. This game will mark the second straight year that the Lady Tigers will be taking on the Japanese National Team.

Memphis, which features one player on its current roster from Japan in junior-to-be Shoko Mikami, is coming off an 11-8 year in which they tied a school record for wins and set a record for goals against average before losing to eventual C-USA champion UAB in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament. The Tigers currently have 13 active players that will be on their 2005 roster playing on the spring team as well as several players that have already exhausted their intercollegiate eligibility.

"This is a great opportunity for the team to get some experience playing at a high level against players that have international experience," said Memphis coach Brooks Monaghan. "This is the second straight year we have done this and we have a great relationship with the Japanese team."

The Japanese National Team will be making its first of two appearances in the Memphis area over the next couple of days as they will also be participating in the Germantown Soccer Club Fury Challenge on Saturday, February 26 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The day-long showcase event hosted by the GSC will also feature several club and college teams from around the country. Memphis will also be participating in the event on Saturday and is scheduled to take on Alabama at 11:00 a.m. and Minnesota at 4:00 p.m.