The University of Memphis men’s soccer team (6-4-4, 2-2-1 American Athletic Conference) beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 1-0 in overtime Saturday night in Tulsa. This was the Tigers’ first win since Sept. 23 when they beat Cincinnati 1-0 in Memphis.
“It was probably the most complete performance we had in probably about a month,” Richard Mulrooney, head coach of the U of M men’s soccer team, said about the game.
The offense for both teams struggled in the first half as Memphis attempted five shots, and Tulsa had three shots. The Tiger defense performed well, and Mulrooney said he was happy with the defensive line.
“I thought defensively we did a great job of stifling them,” Mulrooney said. “Individually, (the) guys knew their assignments.”
The pace of the game changed in the second half, as Tulsa controlled the start by earning chances to score from set pieces with corner kicks and getting opportunities to get shots off due to their creative play. Ultimately, Tulsa couldn’t find the back of the net after five corner kicks in the half and only attempted four shots in the half.
Memphis also had opportunities for counter attacks after holding strong defensively, but they did not result in goals. The Tigers ended regulation with 13 total shots, compared to Tulsa’s seven shots on goal.
The game ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, and overtime only lasted approximately one minute. Freshman forward Gurman Sangha earned his first career goal and the winner for the Tigers when he scored from a rebound after a shot by redshirt sophomore midfielder Chris Mikus.
“Chris had a great first touch, turned the guy and got the shot off, and then Gurman followed it off,” Mulrooney said. “Just like we do in practice.”
With this match, Memphis earned its first overtime victory in five overtime games this season. This game marks the first Tiger win against the Golden Hurricanes since 2011 when Memphis won 3-0.
“To see it out 1-0, I thought it was a fair result, although it was tough nonetheless,” Mulrooney said.
The Tigers now are fifth in conference standings with seven points with two conference games remaining in the schedule. The top six teams in the conference make postseason play. The Tigers haven’t made the AAC Tournament since 2015 when they lost to USF 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
The men’s soccer team wil now have its final home game of the season against No. 19/12 UCF Saturday night. This game is crucial for the Tigers to secure a spot in the AAC Tournament. Last year in Orlando, Florida, the game ended in a 1-1 draw in overtime.
“I expect our guys to rise to that challenge,” Mulrooney said. “Can’t really say what we really need, other than points at home this weekend are vital.”
Kickoff for Senior Day is at 7 p.m. at Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
Gurman Sangha focuses on the ball to control it and make a run. Sangha scored the game winner in overtime against Tulsa
