Nov. 28, 2006

The 2006 Memphis women's soccer season will likely go down as a stamp of validation on the growth of the program.

Led again by senior forward Shoko Mikami, the Lady Tigers posted an 11-6-3 record and went 6-2-1 in Conference USA, finishing with double digit wins for a fourth straight season and earning their highest-ever finish in conference play. Memphis picked up its first C-USA Tournament win in nine years with a thrilling 2-1 double overtime victory against East Carolina.

"This was a season that will probably raise expectations for our program for here on," said Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan. "We were able to go to the conference tournament and pick up a big win. Now our goals for next year will be even higher."

The Lady Tigers were stellar on both ends of the field. Memphis registered 48 goals on the season, with Mikami and sophomore Kylie Hayes each scoring 12. Defensively, the Lady Tigers posted new team records with eight shutouts and a 1.07 goals against average. Sophomore Kate Murphy was named second team all-conference as a defender.

Memphis opened the season with expectations at an all-time high and Soccer Buzz Magazine ranked the Lady Tigers 13th in the Central Region in its preseason poll. Monagahan's squad looked as good as advertised in their opening weekend with an offensive explosion during a two game road trip at Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. The Lady Tigers cruised to easy 8-0 and 7-0 wins respectively. Mikami scored hat tricks in both matches, finishing the weekend with 13 points while Hayes scored five goals and ended the weekend with 11 points.

Despite the opening weekend fireworks, the Memphis offense sputtered through much of the non-conference schedule. Despite out-shooting almost every opponent and creating multiple chances in most of their matches, the Lady Tigers were unlucky and unable to find the back of the net in several contests. Memphis dropped a pair of heartbreaking matches in the 2006 Nike Lady Tiger Fall Invitational, falling 2-0 to an Alabama team that it out shot 21-7 and losing 1-0 to a talented Samford squad.

The Lady Tigers battled back to split an SEC road trip the next weekend, beating Mississippi State 2-0 before falling 3-0 to Ole Miss.

Memphis picked up its first home win of the season, blanking a 2006 NCAA Tournament SEMO team 2-0 at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. After another tough loss to Arkansas, the Lady Tigers fought Missouri State to a 0-0 tie to take a 4-4-2 record into conference play.

"We played a tough non-conference schedule, and we struggled to find the goal in some of those matches," said Monaghan. "I think we took some knocks that really prepared us for the conference season. We never questioned what we were capable of, and I was proud of the team for the way they responded once we got to conference play."

It was during the conference season that the Lady Tigers came together. Following a 1-1 tie with East Carolina, Memphis exploded on Marshall to the tune of eight goals. That set the stage for the Lady Tigers to go on a three match winning steak that included an impressive road win against UCF and a 4-0 drubbing of Southern Miss.

After dropping consecutive road matches against two of the league's top teams in Colorado College and UTEP, Memphis fought back once again to win its final three matches and take the No. 3 seed heading into the C-USA Tournament.

In the first round of the conference tournament, the Lady Tigers faced the same East Carolina squad they tied with to open the C-USA season. The rematch showed just how even the two squads were. After an early goal by ECU, Memphis forward Geneil Newbern scored to tie the match at 1-1. The teams stayed even until double overtime, when Halley Jo Sullivan found Hayes in the box to give Memphis its first conference tournament win under Monaghan. The Lady Tigers came precariously close to making their first ever championship match but fell to eventual champion UAB 4-3 on penalty kicks in the semifinals.

"I'm very pleased overall with the way the season went," said Monghan. "It's a little disappointing because we were so close to the NCAA Tournament. As a whole, I think it was step in the right direction and gives us something to build off of for next year."

SAYING GOODBYE Memphis said goodbye to four seniors in 2006. Nicky McLeod and midfielder Melissa Savage ended their careers among the most active players in school history, playing in 74 and 76 matches, respectively, during their careers. Geneil Newbern was only with the Lady Tigers for one season, but dazzled fans with her athleticism and ball handling skills. The Georgia transfer finished the season third on the team in goals (7) and points (16). "Each one of our seniors was here for a different amount of time, but all of them have contributed tremendously to the program," said Monaghan. "Melissa and Nicky both provided phenomenal leadership, and Geneil, even though she was only here for one season, was able to do a lot things to help us be successful this year."

LEAVING HER MARK After earning the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award in her first full year with the Lady Tigers, Shoko Mikami proved that she was among not only the best in C-USA, but also the nation in 2006. After a stunning opening weekend that saw her score six goals and total 13 points Mikami was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career. More impressively the senior was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Fox Soccer Channel Female Player of the Week. The Chiba, Japan, native was also named to the Soccer Buzz and Soccer America National Teams of the Week. Mikami ended the season with 12 goals, eight assists and 32 points. She led C-USA in points during the regular season for a second straight year, was second in goals and third in assists. She was named first team All-Conference USA and finished her career with 28 goals, 21 assists and 78 points, placing her at second in goals and points and third in assists on the Memphis career lists. "It's tough to even explain what Shoko has done for our program both on and off the field," said Mongahan. "She's absolutely irreplaceable, and her talent and unselfishness are hard to find."

ON HER WAY With two years remaining in her Lady Tiger career, forward Kylie Hayes is on pace to smash several of Memphis' offensive records. Hayes scored five goals and notched an assist in the first two matches of 2006 and ended the season with 12 goals, six assists and 30 points. The Piqua, Ohio, native now ranks third on the career goals (26) list and fourth on the points list (63). She needs just seven goals and 36 points to pass assistant coach Jodi Grant for the all-time lead in both categories.

LITTLE MAIKO MAKES A BIG SPLASH At just five feet tall Maiko Higashiyama was certainly not the Lady Tigers most intimidating player, but the sophomore transfer showed blinding quickness and became one of the team's top offensive threats in conference play. Higashiyama scored all six of her goals in C-USA matches, including game-winning goals against Marshall, Rice and Houston, en route to the league's Newcomer of the Year award. The Japan native became the first Lady Tiger to ever receive the award.

BRIONES MOVES UP LISTS With a 3-0 win over Houston Lady Tiger goalkeeper Isabel Briones moved to No. 1 on Memphis career shutout list, passing Katrina Wicksell for the top spot. Briones is also third on the career saves list with 183 stops. Briones picked up the 22nd win of career in the Lady Tigers regular season-ending win against UAB. The win made Briones the all-time winningest keeper in program history. She was also named as a Conference Defensive Player of the Week, following a pair of shutouts in Memphis first two matches.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Throughout Monaghan's tenure the Lady Tigers have been one of the leading programs on campus academically. In 2006 Memphis players received numerous honors for their scholastic achievements. Shoko Mikami added to her plethora of awards by becoming the first Lady Tiger to ever be named to a national academic team. The senior was named to the ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American second team and District IV first team. In addition, she was voted to the All-Conference USA Academic Team. Sophomore Kate Murphy also picked up a pair of academic honors. The defender was named C-USA Academic honorable mention as well as to the ESPN/CoSIDA District IV All-Academic second team. Senior Melissa Savage also received conference academic honorable mention honors.