The Memphis women’s soccer team (17-4 7-2 American Athletic Conference), had an amazing season this year. They won six more games than in 2017 and won their first AAC Tournament, their first conference tournament title since 2011.
Head coach, Brooks Monaghan, finished his 19th season at Memphis. While they suffered a 0-3 loss at home against Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Monaghan should be proud of the way his team performed throughout the year. They scored 50 goals with a 2.38 goals-per-game average, a slightly better offensive performance than 2017 when they scored 43 goals with a 2.15 goals-per-game average.
Their offensive presence was apparent throughout the whole year, and they only faced struggles against bigger and bulkier defenders. The pace and creativity of the attacking players should continue to gain the upper hand.
Clarissa Larisey, sophomore forward, led the team with 12 goals and four assists, and senior forward Marie Levasseur, and junior defender Stasia Mallin both led the team with eight assists. The defense was led by senior defender Olivia Gauthier and sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg, and they were important assets to only allow 16 goals and 13 total clean sheets. A key part of their defensive play was the constant pressure put on opposing teams in order to ruin the other teams tempos, this allowed their offense to take advantage and get counter-attacks.
The Tigers were a perfect 9-0 away from home and 3-0 in neutral locations. Their four losses came at home against Mississippi State, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and Wisconsin.
They barely had a winning record at home with a 5-4 mark. Regardless, they must improve on winning at home and continue being a threat on the road.
The senior class of Gauthier, Marie Levasseur, Catherine Levasseur, Chanel Hudson-Marks and Elizabeth Woerner will be major losses for the team, as they all made important contributions all around the pitch. They have left an impact on the returning players to keep the team on their dominating path.
Samantha Murphy and Larisey, the two leading goalscorers, and Moberg, the goalkeeper who started all 21 games, were just sophomores this year. Murphy added 11 goals and two assists. Caroline Duncan and Grace Duncan, freshmen twins from White Station High School, also showed flashes in some of their minimal minutes with two goals and two assists, respectively.
The Canadian culture will remain strong as they add Julia Bailey, Emily Lazenby, Payton Robertson, Claire Wyville, Mya Jones, Emma Hooton and Saorla Miller (as of now) as their latest signees, all from our northern neighbors. The success of the team should help gain higher rated recruits.
Under Monaghan’s coaching staff, don’t expect the Tigers to fall off any time soon. They were ranked as high as No. 15/18 nationally and should expect a bigger crowd next year at Mike Rose Soccer Complex, which has a maximum capacity of more than 2,000 people. This team is entertaining to watch, and it is worth the drive to see them dominate.
The Memphis women's soccer team celebrates after Clarissa Larisey's second goal in the AAC championship game. The team went on to beat USF 3-0 in the AAC championship match.
