Oct. 21, 2010
Complete Match Notes 
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With the Conference USA regular season title at stake this weekend, the University of Memphis women’s soccer team returns to Mike Rose Soccer Complex to host the Rice Owls in a big C-USA match slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Memphis (11-3-2, 5-1-2 C-USA) secured its seventh-straight 11-win season with a 3-0 victory at SMU on Sunday. In a tie for second place in C-USA, the Lady Tigers enter Friday’s match needing a victory to clinch a berth to the C-USA Tournament in Orlando, Fla., beginning on Nov. 3.
Despite a coaching change midseason, Rice (8-6-2, 5-1-2 C-USA) has held a top-three spot in the C-USA standings since conference play began on Sept. 24. The Owls dropped their first C-USA tilt of the season to East Carolina on Sunday.
Youth 14 and under wearing their jersey get in free for Friday's match and the first 100 fans get 2010 Women's Soccer trading cards. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 5-12 years old. All children under 5 get in free.
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
• This weekend the University of Memphis women’s soccer program joins the fight against breast cancer. You can show your support by wearing Pink and Blue at the game on Friday. Pink bracelets will be sold all weekend long and all proceeds will go toward breast cancer research.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Can Memphis protect the home field? Memphis is 6-1-1 (3-0-1 C-USA) at home this season while Rice is 1-0-1 away from the Rice Soccer Complex in C-USA play.
• Owls senior midfielder/forward Kate Edwards. Edwards is the second-leading scorer for Rice this season with four goals and one assist. Last season, Edwards converted a penalty kick and added another goal to help Rice top Memphis 2-1.
• Who strikes for Memphis? The Lady Tigers have had a balanced attack this season with 11 different players scoring two or more goals. Eight different Memphis players have two or more assists adding to the balanced effort displayed on the pitch.
SCOUTING RICE
• Rice dropped to 8-6-2 on the season after a 2-1 loss at home to East Carolina on Sunday. Rice earned eight victories with wins over Stephen F. Austin, San Francisco, Texas-San Antonio, Tulsa, SMU, UTEP, Colorado College and Southern Miss. The Owls tied UCF (1-1) and Marshall (0-0).
• Hope Ward leads Rice with 13 points (three goals, seven assists). Korey Taylor (three goals, two assists) and Kate Edwards (four goals, one assist) are the only other Rice players with eight or more points.
• Catherine Fitzsimmons and Meghan Erkel have split time in net for the Owls. Erkel has 10 starts and a 1.36 goals-against average with 35 saves. Fitzsimmons has six starts, eight total appearances, and a 0.65 goals-against average with 42 saves.
• Nicky Adams serves as interim head coach for Rice and is in her eighth season at Rice. The Owls have posted a 5-2-2 record under Adams since she took over the program on Sept. 15.
ROC-TOBER
• With the calendar in the middle of October this week, the Lady Tigers see that as a good sign. Memphis has a 34-10-4 record in the month of October the past five seasons.
LADY TIGERS CLOSE ROAD SCHEDULE
• Memphis departed on its final road trip of the 2010 regular season on Friday at Tulsa and ended play away from Mike Rose Soccer Complex on Sunday at SMU.
• Despite a 22nd minute goal by Christabel Oduro, Tulsa forced Memphis to a 1-1 draw on Friday. The Golden Hurricane got the equalizer in the 87th minute to force the tie.
• Memphis returned to the pitch on Sunday and ran past SMU 3-0. Goals by Ashley Berra, Lizzy Simonin and Vendula Strnadova lifted Memphis to 5-1-2 in C-USA play.
STINGY DEFENSE
• The Lady Tigers have allowed only 12 goals on the season. Memphis has held 13 of 16 opponents to one goal or less (eight shutouts), and the opposition has mustered a mere 9.1 shots per game. Memphis is 0-3 this season when opponents score two or more goals, but 11-0-2 when opponents score one or less. Dating back to 2007, Memphis is 56-4-4 when holding opponents to one or fewer goals and 27-0-3 in the same span against C-USA foes.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Memphis is producing 2.00 goals per game, but what makes it such a scary attack is the balance of the unit. 11 different players have two or more goals, with Taylor Isenhower leading the attack with five and Ashley Berra, Vendula Strnadova and Rasheeda Ansari each have four goals. The unselfish attitude in U of M’s play is evident by its 32 assists on 32 goals. Ashley Berra and Vendula Strnadova lead the way in that category with five helpers, followed by four from Christabel Oduro. Overall, eight players have two or more assists.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
• With three home matches remaining, Memphis will look to continue the home field success gained in recent years. Since 2004, the Lady Tigers have posted a record of 44-17-3 at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. In C-USA action at Mike Rose Soccer Complex, Memphis has posted a 23-8-2 record, including 6-1-1 this season.
GOING STREAKING
• Memphis has put together three, three-game winning streaks in 2010 and hopes to continue its one-game streak on Friday. Since head coach Brooks Monaghan took over the program in 2000, Memphis has 32 winning streaks of two or more games.
Six or more - One time (2007)
Five - Two times (2008)
Four - Three times (2009)
Three - 13 times (2010)
Two - 13 times (2010)
PROGRAM CLAIMS 150th VICTORY
• In 11 seasons as head coach, Brooks Monaghan has helped the U of M women’s soccer program top 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 seven seasons. The Lady Tiger soccer program stands at 155-143-16 after 11 wins in 2010.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
• Last season, Memphis went 1-6 when opponents scored first. The lone victory in 2009 came at East Carolina when Memphis scored two unanswered goals for the victory. This season, the Lady Tigers are off to a 2-3 start when opponents score first after victories in comeback fashion over Alabama and Ole Miss.
ROAD WARRIORS
• Memphis closed road play on Sunday Oct. 17 with a 3-0 victory at SMU. Memphis finishes 2010 with a 5-2-1 record on the road. Memphis has a record of 23-6-3 on the road the last four seasons and is 14-3-3 in C-USA road contests.
RECORD BOOK
• Ashley Berra ranks third in career points with 78 points. The 2009 C-USA Offensive Player of the Year is third on the all-time goals scored list with 30 after posting the game-winner at SMU. Berra has registered 183 career shots which ranks third all-time.
• Vendula Strnadova claimed the school record for shots in a career with five shots in the 6-0 victory at UALR on Sept. 5. Strnadova has posted 224 career shots in 82 career matches.
• Memphis netminder Elise Kuhar-Pitters continues her accent up the record books. Kuhar-Pitters posted her 20th career shutout in the 3-0 victory at SMU to climb closer to Isabel Birones’ record of 25. She ranks second in career goalkeeping victories with 32, needing seven to tie Birones’ record of 39.
• Vendula Strnadova and Laura Laufenberg have now played in 82 matches in their respective careers. The pair needs two more game appearances to hold the U of M record for matches played in a career.
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 35-1-1 when scoring three or more goals in a match.
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 121-84-13.
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 59 wins, the seniors need one more victory to surpass the 59 victories that the class of 2006-09 posted. The class of 2010 has posted a win percentage of .741 (59-19-5) which is the best win percentage in program history by a senior class. The class ranks 13th in the nation among senior classes.
TURNING UP THE HEAT
• In the three matches versus UALR, Alabama and Ole Miss, Memphis scored 10 goals in second half action. At UALR on Sept. 5, the Lady Tigers posted four second-half goals to topple the Trojans. After trailing 1-0 at halftime against Alabama, the U of M again posted four second-half goals to claim a 4-1 victory over the Crimson Tide on Sept. 10. Facing a 1-0 halftime deficit for the second-straight game, Memphis posted two second half goals to top Ole Miss 2-1 on Sept. 12.
• Memphis tallied double-digit shot attempts in the second half in the four game stretch to close non-conference play. Memphis recorded 15 second-half shots at UALR. The Lady Tigers posted 14 second-half shots against Alabama and 11 second-half shots at Ole Miss and at home against TCU.
QUICK SCORE
• Memphis posted back-to-back goals in under three minutes in a three game span for the first time in program history. At UALR, Lizzy Hildebrandt and Julia Ignacio scored two goals in a span of 1:50. Emmaleigh Davis and Laura Laufenberg combined for back-to-back goals in a span of 1:20 against Alabama and Lizzy Simonin and Taylor Isenhower scored in a span of 2:37 at Ole Miss.
FRESH FACES
• Thus far in 2010, the freshmen have accounted for 30 percent of the Memphis scoring. With 11 goals and seven assists in 16 games, the freshmen have been a key to the 11-3-2 season.
TOPDRAWER SOCCER TEAM OF THE WEEK
• Junior defender Lizzy Simonin was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week on Oct. 11. Simonin is the third Lady Tiger to earn the honors. Simonin earned the recognition after helping Memphis post back-to-back shutouts over East Carolina and Marshall.
• Sophomore forward Taylor Isenhower earned TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week honors as announced by the online publication on Sept. 13. Isenhower is the second Memphis women’s soccer student-athlete to earn the honor (Ashley Berra 10/26/09). Isenhower scored three goals, two game-winners, in a weekend sweep of SEC foes Alabama and Ole Miss.
CS360 PRIMETIME PERFORMER
• Junior defender Lizzy Simonin earned CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week honors as announced on Aug. 31. Simonin, who transitioned from forward to defender in the offseason, helped Memphis to the 1-0 victory over LSU and became 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.
C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• For the second time this season, Lizzy Simonin earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 11. Simonin helped Memphis to back-to-back 2-0 shutouts over East Carolina and Marshall.
• Sophomore forward Taylor Isenhower earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors as announced by the league office on Sept. 13. Isenhower helped Memphis to a SEC weekend sweep on Sept. 10/12 with three goals, two game-winners.
• Junior defender Lizzy Simonin earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors as announced by the league office on Aug. 30. 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 on Sat., Aug. 28.
• 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 Aug. 22. Ansari is the fifth Lady Tiger freshman to earn C-USA weekly honors in the past five seasons.
NET GAINS
• Memphis has posted eight shutouts this season. Elise Kuhar-Pitters has five shutouts and Jordan Boyle has posted two shutouts. The duo combined for another.
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.
• The sisters have combined for seven of Memphis’ 32 goals scored and five assists in 16 matches.
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. The dynamic duo hooked up for the first time in 2010 on Oct. 8 when Berra assisted Strnadova on the game-winning goal of a 2-0 victory over East Carolina. After 16 games in 2010, the duo has accounted for eight goals and 10 assists (27 percent).
UNBALANCED C-USA SCHEDULE
• Due to C-USA coaches approving an unbalanced schedule (rotates each year), there will certainly be a disparity between the amount of home and road games for each league member. Memphis is one of three members (Rice and UCF) who have seven home games and four road games in C-USA play. Houston, Southern Miss and UAB each have six home and five road matches and Colorado College, Marshall and SMU have five home and six road matches in C-USA play. UTEP, Tulsa and East Carolina play four home games and seven road games this season.
FOLLOW MEMPHIS WOMEN’S SOCCER
• Be sure to follow University of Memphis women’s soccer on Facebook and Twitter for the most up to date information. Game updates and video interviews from practice will be linked on those pages and direct you to the official website for University of Memphis athletics, www.gotigersgo.com. To follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter, search UoMWSoccer. You can follow Memphis Women’s Soccer on Facebook by searching for University of Memphis Women’s Soccer. Direct links for Twitter and Facebook pages can be found at the bottom of each release on www.gotigersgo.com.
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.
LIVE CHAT
• This season, the University of Memphis media relations department will seek to provide live chat of all home sporting events as well as select road matches. To participate in the live chat, find the live chat link on the schedule page or click on the link in the preview for that match.
UP NEXT
• The Lady Tigers host Houston at Mike Rose Soccer Complex at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24.
