Nov. 12, 2009

NCAA Tournament Notes

Memphis, Tenn.- The University of Memphis women's soccer team makes their third trip to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in the last three seasons and will square off with the Texas A&M Aggies at 4 p.m. on Fri. Nov. 13th in Baton Rouge, La., at the LSU Soccer Complex.

"We are definitely excited to play in Baton Rouge again," head coach Brooks Monaghan said. "We have played there and are familiar with the area and got a win to start the season. We are excited about playing Texas A&M. In the big picture of women's soccer, they are a powerhouse. Our team has stepped up well against big name teams this season. We are looking forward to the match and doing our research on Texas A&M and come Friday we will be ready to go."

Memphis (16-6-0) captured its third-straight C-USA Championship with a 3-0 victory over ninth-ranked UCF. The Lady Tigers have come up just short in their previous NCAA's appearances. In 2007, the first appearance in school history, Memphis faced UNC-Greensboro, but was turned away with a 1-0 defeat. Last season, the Illini of the University knocked off Memphis 1-0 in double overtime.

"The past two years, we have felt that those matches could have gone either way," Monaghan said. "In years past, I think we were just satisfied with winning the championship. I don't think this group will be satisfied with just that. This group will be ready. I can't predict what the score will be on Friday, but I can guarantee we give it our all and see what happens."

The Lady Tigers are riding a three-game undefeated streak entering the opening round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. The streak began with a 6-2 victory over SMU in the opening round of the C-USA Tournament. Memphis posted back-to-back shutouts against Colorado College in the semifinals and UCF in the finals to claim its third-straight C-USA Championship.

"No one is going to be shell-shocked on Friday," Monaghan said. "We are at a point in our program where our players expect to be in this position. This is just another game and an extension of the conference tournament. I thought we played really well over the weekend and I am going to challenge them to play with that intensity."

Ranked 22nd in the nation, Texas A&M (14-6-2) makes its 15th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies captured an at-large bid after finishing runner-up in the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament.

Tickets for the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship are on sale now at LSUSports.net. Ticket orders will be available for pick-up at Will Call. All seats at the LSU Soccer Complex are general admission. The ticket office at the LSU Soccer Complex will open at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

All-Session tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Single-Session tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and students and $1 for children ages five and under. Fans purchasing a ticket for Session 1 will receive admission to both first-round matches on Friday.

The winner of the Memphis/Texas A&M will face either Arkansas-Pine Bluff or host LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the second round match-up.