Sept. 2, 2010
Complete Match Notes 
Memphis, Tenn. – Off to a 3-0 start to the season, the 13th-ranked University of Memphis women’s soccer team travels to Stillwater, Okla. for a nationally ranked showdown with the 20th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.
Memphis (3-0-0), ranked 13th by Soccer America and 15th by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), faces its second-straight ranked opponent. The U of M knocked off #18 LSU on Saturday after a rocket from Vendula Strnadova propelled the Lady Tigers to the 1-0 victory.
Oklahoma State is 2-1-0 on the young season, with wins over Oklahoma and Oregon and a loss at third-ranked Portland. Each of the Cowgirls' matches this season has been decided by one goal.
Fans wishing to watch the top-25 showdown can do so by subscribing to the Memphis All-Access channel at www.gotigersgo.com.
LADY TIGERS OFF TO 3-0 START
• For the first time in University of Memphis women’s soccer history, Memphis is off to a 3-0 start to the season.
• Senior midfielder Vendula Strnadova’s first-half goal was enough to lead #18/23 Memphis past 18th-ranked LSU 1-0 Saturday night at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
• Whitney Wernimont’s goal in the second overtime period lifted 19th-ranked Oklahoma State to a 1-0 win over Oregon Friday night at Pape’ Field. Following a foul by Oregon in the match’s 104th minute, Wernimont stepped up and blasted a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box into the back of the net. The goal was the first of the senior’s career and lifted the Cowgirls to 2-0-0 on the young season.
• Third-ranked Portland scored in the final minute Sunday to knock off No. 19 Oklahoma State, 1-0, Sunday in front of 3,058 fans at Merlo Field. Playing without two of its top offensive threats in senior Annika Niemeier and junior Kyndall Treadwell, OSU saw its 12-game unbeaten streak come to an end as the Cowgirls fell to 2-1-0 on the season.
• Colin Carmichael is in his sixth season as head coach for Oklahoma State and has a record of 76-24-15.
C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Junior defender Lizzy Simonin earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors as announced by the league office on Monday. Simonin helped the Lady Tigers to a second-straight shutout and a 3-0 start to the season with a 1-0 victory over nationally-ranked LSU.
• Freshman forward Rasheeda Ansari earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors for week one of the 2010 season as announced by C-USA on Aug. 23. Ansari scored two goals to help Memphis to a 3-0 victory over Samford on Sunday. Ansari is the fifth Lady Tiger freshman to earn C-USA weekly honors in the past five seasons.
CS360.COM PRIMETIME PERFORMER
• Junior defender Lizzy Simonin earned CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week honors as announced on Tuesday. Simonin, who transitioned from forward to defender in the offseason, helped Memphis to the 1-0 victory over LSU last week and becomes the third U of M women’s soccer player to earn the weekly honor. Ashley Berra and Vendula Strnadova earned the honors after the 2009 C-USA Tournament in which Memphis won its third-straight championship.
MEMPHIS IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
• For the first time in program history, the Lady Tiger soccer program is ranked in three national polls during the same week. Soccer America ranks Memphis 13th this week after the Lady Tigers climbed from 18th last week. With a 1-0 victory over LSU last week, the U of M climbed to 15th in the NSCAA top-25 poll after entering the poll at 23rd a week ago. Memphis also entered the Soccer Times poll this week at No. 21.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Since the 2007 season opener, the Lady Tiger defense has helped Memphis to a 48-4-2 record when opponents score one or fewer goals. When opponents score one or fewer goals in C-USA matches, Memphis boasts a record of 22-0-1.
THREE…. IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
• As winners of three-straight C-USA Championships, the Lady Tigers have had immense success when scoring three or more goals in a match. Since 2005, Memphis is 32-1-1 when scoring three or more goals in a match.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
• With 11 home matches in 2010, Memphis will look to continue the home field success gained in recent years. Since 2004, the Lady Tigers have posted a record of 41-16-2 at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. In C-USA action at Mike Rose Soccer Complex, Memphis has posted a 21-8-1 record.
HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
• Memphis senior forward Ashley Berra and senior midfielder Vendula Strnadova were named to the 45-player watch list for the 2010 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy as announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA).
• Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipients of the MAC’s Hermann Trophy are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the NSCAA. A list of 15 semifinalists is selected by a coaches committee in November, with three finalists announced in early December.
• Friday’s match-up with Oklahoma State will feature four Hermann Trophy watch list honorees. Oklahoma State goalkeeper Adrianna French and midfielder Annika Niemeier join Berra and Strnadova on the 45-player watch list.
PRESEASON AWARDS
• Senior forward Ashley Berra was selected as the 2010 C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the year. Berra claimed the 2009 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year honors after an explosive 15 goal, eight assist season. Berra was also selected as one of 25 preseason All-Americans by Soccer America.
• Senior midfielder Vendula Strnadova joins Ashley Berra on the C-USA Preseason All-C-USA team. Strnadova is a three-time, first team All-C-USA selection with 20 career goals.
LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
• Vendula Strnadova was selected as one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award earlier this season.
• An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
• Strnadova will be joined on the pitch Friday by Oklahoma State midfielder Annika Niemier, who is also a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
HEAD COACH Brooks Monaghan
• Monaghan finished 2009 with his 110th career victory over UCF in the finals of the C-USA Tournament. In 2010, Monaghan will look to add to his program record career winning total. Monaghan has a record of 113-81-11.
SENIOR CLASS SUCCESS
• As winners of three-straight C-USA Championships, the senior class of Ashley Berra, Brittany Hance, Laura Laufenberg, Amanda Olszewski, Vendula Strnadova and Krista Turner are chasing program history as the winningest class. With 51 wins, the seniors need nine victories to surpass the 59 victories that the class of 2006-09 posted. The class of 2010 has posted a win percentage of .750 (51-16-3) which is the best win percentage in program history by a senior class. The senior class ranks tied for 10th in the nation among senior classes.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
• In addition to three Conference USA titles, the Lady Tigers achievements in the classroom have set them apart from the competition. With a 3.6 spring semester GPA, the Lady Tigers set a new team record. Twenty-four of 26 players enrolled in the last two semesters recorded GPAs of 3.0 or above. Thirteen Lady Tigers were named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal List. Memphis women’s soccer was the only team competing in a C-USA-sponsored sport to have double-digit honorees.
FRESH FACES
• The Lady Tigers will introduce seven newcomers to the 2010 squad. Kelley Gravlin joins the midfielder core for the Lady Tigers. Avery Dellheim and Ashley Barksdale join the talented squad of defenders. Rasheeda Ansari, Emmaleigh Davis and Christabel Oduro offer versatility as each will like see playing time at multiple positions. Alena Strnadova joins her sister, Vendula, in the midfield for the Lady Tigers.
ROAD WARRIORS
• A sign of a championship team is their play on the road. The Lady Tigers have claimed win after win on the road the last three championship seasons. Memphis has a record of 19-4-2 on the road the last four seasons and is 12-2-2 in C-USA road contests.
SISTER ACT
• The Lady Tigers will have a sister act in the midfield in 2010. Three-time, first team All-C-USA selection Vendula Strnadova is joined by her sister, Alena “Aja” Strnadova, in 2010. The Las Cruces HS products will look to terrorize midfields over the course of the season.
• Vendula has appeared in 66 career matches for the Lady Tigers, posting 19 goals and 10 assists entering her fourth season.
• Alena “Aja” scored her first career goal versus SLU on Friday, giving the Strnadova duo three points on the night.
RECORD BOOK
• Ashley Berra ranks fifth in career points with 66 points in three seasons. The 2009 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year is ranked fourth in career goals with 26. Berra has registered 160 career shots to rank fifth in career shots.
• Vendula Strnadova climbed to second in career shots in 2009 and has nine shots in the first three games of 2010, needing only seven shots to claim the top spot in the program record book.
1-2 PUNCH
• Seniors Ashley Berra and Vendula Strnadova give Memphis one of the top scoring duos in C-USA. The duo combined for 20 goals and 12 assists in 2009 which accounted for 40 percent of the Lady Tigers’ offense.
PROGRAM NEARS 150 VICTORIES
• As coach Brooks Monaghan enters his 11th season as head coach, the U of M women’s soccer program nears the 150 win plateau. The Lady Tigers had one 10-plus win season in the first nine seasons as a program, but Memphis has won 11-plus games the last six seasons. The Lady Tiger soccer program stands at 147-141-15 after three wins in 2010.
CLEAN SLATE
• Memphis has posted two shutouts in the first three matches of 2010. Jordan Boyle and Elise Kuhar-Pitters each have one shutout.
• In 2009, the Lady Tiger defense posted a school-record 12 shutouts in 23 matches. Limiting opponents to an average of 0.87 goals per game was a key to the championship success of 2009.
REDSHIRT RETURN
• Redshirt senior Laura Laufenberg will return for her fifth season in 2010 after suffering a season-ending knee injury six games into the 2009 season. Also returning from injury is redshirt-junior Melissa Smith who also played in six matches before being sidelined with a knee injury.
TOPDRAWERSOCCER TOP 20
• TopDrawerSoccer.com released its top-20 rankings for each conference in mid-August and four Lady Tigers made the top-20. Ashley Berra was awarded the number one ranking and Vendula Strnadova was ranked sixth. Elise Kuhar-Pitters was ranked eighth to give Memphis three student-athletes in the top-10. Taylor Isenhower was ranked 17th in the top-20 to give Memphis the most student-athletes of any C-USA program.
GAMETRACKER
• If you can’t make it to the game, you can still follow the Lady Tigers. Every home game can be viewed on Gametracker. Just go to GoTigersGo.com, click on “Gametracker” on the side bar under women’s soccer and follow the action from any computer.
UP NEXT
• The Lady Tigers return to Mike Rose Soccer complex to face its’ second SEC West opponent of the season. Alabama will visit the Bluff City on Fri., Sept. 10 with kick-off set for 7 p.m.
