April 18, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. - The University of Memphis women's soccer team capped off the spring slate with a 2-1 victory at Ole Miss on Friday night. With the win, the Lady Tigers finished the spring slate with a 4-1-1 record.

"I was very pleased with how the game went considering we were without a few players due to injury and disciplinary reasons," head coach Brooks Monaghan said. "We only had one substitution for the game and that put us behind the eight ball before the game started. I thought we played well and we got the job done. Obviously, there are things that we need to work on, but I thought it was a good result at the end of the day."

Kelley Gravlin connected on the first goal for the Lady Tigers and Lizzy Simonin picked up the assist on the play. With an assist by Melissa Smith, Christable Oduro provided the second goal to cap off the scoring. The Lady Tigers had just one substitution available for the match, a familiar situation throughout the spring.

"Overall, this spring has been great and we have seen some players really improve in a lot of ways," Monaghan said. "The spring season is about seeing individual players improve and we had several players improve. Although the spring was tough with the numbers, it was good to get that experience and playing time for our players. Looking back, with the competition we played against, I am very pleased to walk away with a 4-1-1 record, considering the numbers we had."

With the spring season complete, Memphis will turn its attention to the offseason and gear up for the 2011 season. The complete 2011 schedule will be released on Thursday and the U of M will host the 2011 C-USA Women's Soccer Championship at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

"At the end of the day this spring, not just the games, but the overall attitude and work rate, was the best spring we have ever had here at the University of Memphis," Monaghan said. "Obviously, you want to build on the spring and carry that momentum into the fall and have a great year."