Oct. 18, 2005
East Carolina Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game #14 - Memphis (9-4-0, 3-1-0 C-USA) at East Carolina (6-9-0, 2-3-0 C-USA)
Wednesday, October 19 • 12:30 p.m.
Bunting Field (500) • Greenville, N.C.
This Week
Memphis returns to Greenville, N.C. to play a makeup Conference USA game at East Carolina this Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Originally scheduled to Friday, October 7, the game was rescheduled to this Wednesday after a rainout, breaking up the Tigers' scheduled three-game homestand. Memphis returns home this weekend for a pair of games.
Looking Ahead
After the midweek contest, Memphis will play its final two home games of the regular season on Friday and Sunday. The Tigers will take on UCF for the first time in school history on October 21 at 7:00 p.m. That game will be followed by a contest against Southern Miss in the home finale on October 23 at 1:00 p.m. The game against Golden Eagles will be followed by senior day.
Series vs. East Carolina
The Tigers hold a 2-0-0 advantage over East Carolina in the all-time series as ECU did not join Conference USA until the 2001 season. Both of the previous meetings have come in Memphis as this will be the Tigers' first trip to Greenville to play the Pirates. Memphis topped ECU 3-2 in 2002 and also beat the Pirates 4-1 at home last year.
Scouting East Carolina
The Pirates enter Friday's game with a 6-9-0 overall record and a 2-3-0 mark in Conference USA play. They are coming off a split of two conference games this weekend, defeating Southern Miss but losing to UCF. The Pirates have a far better record at home (4-2) than on the road (2-5). So far this year, ECU has been outscored by its opponents by a narrow 31-27 margin. Meghan McCallion, a first team All-C-USA pick last year, leads the Pirates in scoring with eight goals, six assists, and 22 points. However, the next highest scorer for the Pirates has just three goals and three assists. Amber Campbell has received the majority of the time in goal, starting all 15 games and she has a 1.88 goals against average.
Last Year vs. East Carolina
In just the second-ever meeting with East Carolina, the Tigers defeated the Pirates 4-1 to run their record to 10-3 on the year and 4-1 in the conference. It was their second-highest goal output of the year. Robyn Smart scored the first Memphis goal of the game, her only goal of the year, while Shoko Mikami scored her only goal of the year as well, which was the game-winner. Annika Moller and Kelsey Irish scored the other goals while Monica Powell and Vicki Greenwell each had two assists.
The Coaches
Brooks Monaghan (Memphis, 1994) is in his sixth year as head coach at Memphis, where he holds a 48-56-5 career record. Prior to his tenure as head coach, he was the assistant coach in charge of goalkeepers for five years, serving since the program's inception in 1995. Just the second head coach in program history, Monaghan became the program's all-time winningest coach last year with his 35th career win.
Rob Donnenwirth (West Virginia Wesleyan, 1988) is in his seventh year at the helm at East Carolina. He holds a 125-77-24 career record in this his 12th year as a head coach. In his time at ECU, he has a 63-51-5 mark. He coached for five years at North Carolina Wesleyan and led his team there to a berth in the Division III Final Four in one of his years there.
10 and Four
Last year, Memphis defeated East Carolina for its 10th win of the season, running its record to 10-3 with the win. The victory also improved Memphis' record in C-USA play to 4-1. If the Tigers can defeat ECU once again this year, it will again be the 10th win of the year for the Tigers and it will once again run their conference record to 4-1.
Looking for Improvement on the Road
Wednesday's game will be just Memphis' fifth road game of the year. The Tigers will be trying to win back-to-back road games for just the second time in program history. Last year, Memphis won its first three road games of the year, which was remarkably the first time in program history it had won back-to-back road games.
Makeup Breaks up Homestand
This makeup game will now break up what was scheduled to be a three-game homestand to end the home schedule for the Tigers. Memphis will now play four games in a 10-day span due to the makeup.
Conference Champions
UAB was the third of four opponents this year for Memphis that won either its conference regular season or tournament championship last year. After Friday's win against the Conference USA tournament champions from a year ago, the Tigers are 2-1 against these teams after beating Middle Tennessee (regular season Sun Belt) but losing to Samford (regular season Ohio Valley). Memphis will also play SMU later this year, which won both the regular season and tournament championships in the WAC.
Beating the Best
UAB was just the first of three opponents this year for the Tigers that qualified for the last season's NCAA Tournament. With the win, Memphis is now 1-0 against such teams, with UCF to follow this weekend and SMU next weekend. Last year, Memphis went 2-0 against NCAA Tournament teams from the year before, defeating both Ole Miss and DePaul.
Mike Rose - Where C-USA Champs go Down
The win over UAB marked the second straight year that the defending Conference USA champion from the previous season had come to the Mike Rose Soccer Complex for a regular season game and left with a loss. Last year, DePaul, which had won the conference crown in 2003, opened conference play with the Tigers and also left with a one goal loss.
Tigers Break UAB Losing Streak
The win over UAB also broke a three-game losing streak to the Blazers, which included two losses last season, one in the conference tournament. The win was Memphis' first over UAB since the 2002 season, which was also the last time that the two teams played in Memphis prior to last Friday.
Savage Scores Second Straight Game-Winner
Not only did Melissa Savage score a goal for the second straight game against UAB after not scoring in Memphis' first 11 games, but for the second straight game her goal was also the game-winning goal. It marked the fifth time this year that a Tiger player has scored goals in back-to-back games. Shoko Mikami has done it three times and Kylie Hayes has done it once (six straight games). Last year, Tiger individuals only scored goals in back-to-back games three times.
Briones Records Shutout in Return
After sitting out Memphis' last game, Isabel Briones returned to the Memphis lineup on Friday and recorded her fifth shutout of the year against UAB, a team from her home state of Alabama. She made nine saves, which were the most for her this year and the second-most in her career. Her career high of 12 saves came last year, also against UAB, only the Tigers lost that game in Birmingham.
Briones Awarded Second Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week
Sophomore goalkeeper Isabel Briones was named the Conference USA co-Defensive Player of the Week after her shutout against UAB. It is her second C-USA Defensive Player of the Week award this year. Earlier this year, she garnered the award after shutting out both UT-Martin and Missouri State in the same week.
Lucky or Unlucky 13
Last year, Memphis held a 10-3 over all record through 13 games but then lost four straight conference games before winning their last to qualify for the conference tournament. This year, through 13 games, the Tigers are a similar 9-4 and once again face five conference games to finish their season. Last below on the left is a comparison between this year and last year at the 13-game mark.
Mississauga Duo Comes Through
The freshman duo of Joanna Alexopulos and Alexandra Atkinson are both from Mississauga, Ontario and were club teammates prior to coming to Memphis. The duo played a big part in Memphis' 2-1 win at Marshall. Alexopulos drew the start at goalkeeper, her first-ever game at goalkeeper in her career, and came up with the win, making four saves and only allowing one goal, which came on a penalty kick. Atkinson, meanwhile, a center defender who has started all 12 games this year, played steadily on the defensive end of the field to help out her first-time goalie and also assisted on both of Memphis' goals in the game.
First-Timers
Marshall was the third opponent that Memphis has played this year for the first time and the Tigers were able to pick up their first win against such opponents on Sunday against the Herd, giving them a 1-2 record against such opponents. The Tigers also met Samford and UTEP for the first time ever but lost to both of those teams. Later this year, Memphis will also meet UCF and SMU for the first time ever.
Spreading the Wealth
Memphis now has had 17 different players record at least one point this year through 13 games. Only seven players that have seen action have not recorded a point. Last year, only 16 different players recorded points in 19 games.
Dynamic Duo
So far this year, it is nearly a sure bet that either Kylie Hayes or Shoko Mikami or both will score a goal each game for the Tigers. At least one of them has recorded at least one goal in 11 of the 13 games so far this year and they have scored in the same game in six of the Tigers' 13 games.
The game against UAB was just the second game that neither of them scored in and the first in which neither of them scored in which the Tigers were not shutout. The only other game this year in which neither of them scored was when Memphis was shut out by Southeast Missouri State.
Multiplying Multiples
Last year, Memphis individuals only recorded two multiple-goal matches the entire year. Shoko Mikami's second hat trick of the year against Tulane was the fifth individual multiple-goal match this year. Listed below are the players that have recorded multiple-goal matches this year.
Name (Goals) Opponent (Date)
Asuka Kubota (2) Tenn. Tech (8-28)
Shoko Mikami (2) Tenn. Tech (8-28)
Kylie Hayes (2) Evansville (9-4)
Shoko Mikami (3) Middle Tenn. (9-18)
Shoko Mikami (3) Tulane (9-30)
Iron Women
With the regular season more than halfway over, Memphis has just four players that have played in and started every game this year. Only Kylie Hayes and the defensive backfield of Alexandra Atkinson, Kate Murphy, and Halley Jo Sullivan have started every game for the Tigers this season.
Records In Danger of Being Broken
With all its offensive prowess this year, Memphis has several individual and team season records that very well could fall by the end of the year. The box on the right lists these records.
Mikami Records Second Hat Trick
Junior forward Shoko Mikami recorded her second hat trick of the year and second in three games with three goals against Tulane. Mikami, who had become the first Tiger to record a hat trick since Jessica Gjertsen in 2000 when she turned the trick against Middle Tennessee on September 18, became the first player to record two hat tricks in a season since Gjertsen did in 2000. Gjertsen had three hat tricks in 2000 while the Tigers as a team had four with Candice Spiniolas having the other.
Tigers Top 2004 Totals in 10th Game
Memphis surpassed its total of 84 points from all of last year in just its 10th game. Currently, the Tigers have 112 points on the year. Memphis also has surpassed its goal total from last year (28) and assist total from 2004 as well (28), which came in 19 games. Memphis now has 37 goals and 38 assists on the year in 13 games. The Tigers have also recorded at least one goal in 17 of the 26 halves they have played this year, not including overtime periods.
Long Time Coming
It only took 58 career games to do it, but senior defender Courtnee Melton recorded her first career goal in the 6-0 win over Tulane. Melton, one of two seniors on the team this year and a local product out of Bartlett, Tenn., scored Memphis' second goal of the game. It was also her first points in nearly three years, as her only career points before the Tulane game were two assists she recorded as a freshman in 2002.
Hayes Sets Record with Streak
Earlier this year, freshman forward Kylie Hayes made history by becoming the first player in school history to score a goal in both five and six straight games. The previous record for consecutive games with a goal was held by Meredith Smith, who scored in four straight games in 1996.
More Offensive Facts
- Last year, Memphis' top point producer had just 15 points all season long. This year, its point leader, Shoko Mikami, already has surpassed that with 30 points in 13 games. Two others have also already passed that as Kylie Hayes has 25 points and Asuka Kubota 16 points.
- Last year's top goal scorers on the team each had only six goals apiece. This year, Mikami has 13 goals already and Hayes has scored 10 goals all in 13 games.
- Last year's assist leader had six assists in 19 games. This year, both Nicky McLeod and Asuka Kubota have already accumulated six assists apiece in 13 games while both Kylie Hayes has five assists.
Three Straight
Shoko Mikami became the second Memphis player this year to score a goal in three straight games, joining Kylie Hayes. She also became just the eighth player in school history to score a goal in three straight games. Listed below are the players in Tiger history that recorded goals in at least three straight games.
Name Year
Shoko Mikami 2005
Kylie Hayes (6 straight) 2005
Alison Baker 2002
Alison Baker 2001
Becca Amrozowicz 1999
Jennifer Vossen 1996
Christy Caswell 1996
Meredith Smith (4 straight) 1996
Tigers Set Mike Rose Attendance Record
With a crowd of 739 at the Ole Miss game, Memphis set a record for home attendance at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. It was also the second-largest home crowd ever for the women's soccer program.
Close Together
Memphis' second and third goals against UT-Martin were scored just :15 seconds apart. Last year, the least amount of time in between goals was 2:20 between goals by Madison Cheek and Caroline Barrett against Alabama A&M.
Now That's Efficiency
Not only did freshman Sarah MacGregor record her first career point by assisting on Asuka Kubota's first Memphis goal against Tennessee Tech, but she also recorded the assist just :29 seconds after entering the game as a substitute.
Now That's Really Efficient
Freshman Lauren Everhart topped MacGregor's feat by recording her first career point just :10 seconds after entering the game against Missouri State. She stole a goal kick by MSU's goalie and dished to Shoko Mikami for a goal and her first career assist.
Still, neither topped last year's quickest point, which went to Elaine Sedgewick, who assisted on a Mary Shelton goal just :06 seconds after entering the game in Memphis' 5-1 win over Charlotte on October 8th.
Neutral Success
The win over Evansville was Memphis' first win on a neutral field since the 1997 season and the first ever win in program history on a neutral field during the regular season. Memphis' only two previous wins on neutral fields came in the 1996 and 1997 seasons and both were Conference USA Tournament games. The Tigers now have a 3-5-1 all-time record on neutral fields.
Mikami Surpasses 2004 in One Game
Shoko Mikami, who led the nation in scoring in Division II while playing at Christian Brothers University two years ago, surpassed both her point and goal totals from last year in just one game by scoring two goals and recording one assist for five points against Tennessee Tech. She had just three points (1g, 1a) last year while playing in just 11 games after recovering from a knee injury for much of the first half of the season.
Long Time Coming
The seven goals scored by Memphis against Tennessee Tech were the most since a 9-0 win over Rhodes on September 1, 1999, which was also the season opener that year. The seven-goal margin of victory was also the most since that same game.
Another Shutout
For the second straight year, Memphis recorded a shutout on opening day. It was also the fourth time in school history that the Tigers won in a shutout on opening day.
Goalie Helps Out
Goalkeeper Isabel Briones did something against Tennessee Tech that rarely happens for a goalie, and it was just the second time in Memphis women's soccer history that it happened. She recorded an assist. She assisted on Shoko Mikami's second goal of the day by punting the ball well beyond midfield after making a save. The punt was played out of the air by Kylie Hayes, who dribbled with it before dishing to Mikami for the score. The only other time in program history that a goalie recorded a point was when goalkeeper Heather Chinellato recorded an assist during the 1998 season.
Recruiting Class Ranked Highest Ever at Memphis
The incoming recruiting class of this year, consisting of 14 freshman and one sophomore transfer, was ranked 27th in the country by Soccer Buzz, the highest ever ranking for Memphis. The Tiger newcomers were the highest ranked team in Conference USA in the rankings and they were also ranked eighth in the Central Region. Below is a list of how other C-USA teams ranked in the national rankings, followed by teams that were ranked in their region.
National
27. Memphis
42. Rice
44. UCF
70. SMU
72. Tulane
76. UAB
96. UTEP
Regional
8. Memphis (Central)
8. UCF (Southeast)
13. Rice (Central)
13. UAB (Southeast)
17. SMU (Central)
19. Tulane (Central)
23. UTEP (Central)
23. East Carolina (Southeast)
From National Team to Memphis
Three newcomers on the Tigers have come to Memphis with national team experience for their respective countries. Sophomore Asuka Kubota played on the Japanese Under-19 National Team, freshman Joanna Alexopulos played for the Canadian Under-17 National Team, while freshman Aika Young is a member of the Guam National Team.
W-League Experience
Freshman Joanna Alexopulos spent her summer playing with Toronto Lynx of the W-League. The W-League is part of the United Soccer Leagues, which is the largest organization of soccer leagues in North America. The USL sponsors both professional and amateur leagues in both the U.S. and Canada. The W-League is now recognized as the highest level of women's soccer in North America due to the WUSA folding a few years ago. Alexopulos saw action in 12 games for the Lynx, whose roster also included former Tiger Yuiko Konno.
All-Americans
Two members of the Tiger roster were named All-Americans at their previous school. Sophomore transfer Asuka Kubota was an NAIA All-American at Martin Methodist College last year while freshman Chloe James was a high school All-American as a senior at Roger Bacon High in the Cincinnati area.
Alaskan Pipeline to Memphis
Memphis has a very diverse roster, boasting representatives from 10 states and five countries. One of the more unique things about the Lady Tigers is that two members hail from the State of Alaska, which is remarkable considering that Memphis is over 4,000 miles from Anchorage, where both sophomore Halley Jo Sullivan and freshman Kate Murphy hail from. According to research conducted by Matt Beltz of the Memphis athletic media relations office, Memphis is one of only three Division I women's soccer teams in the country that have at least two players from Alaska on its roster. The only other teams in the country that have as many players from Alaska as Memphis are Montana and Valparaiso, which both have three players each from The Last Frontier.
From All Corners of the World
For the second straight year, the Memphis roster has representatives from a number of different states and countries. Last year, the Tigers had players from 12 different states and five different countries on their roster and 40 percent of the roster was made up of foreign players. This year, Memphis has representatives from 10 different states and five different countries and just over 30 percent of the roster is made up of foreign players.
Mike Rose is Home Once Again
For the second straight year, the women's soccer program will play all of its home games at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Last year was the first year that all home games were played there after only playing conference games there for the previous two years.
