Memphis men’s soccer defeated Mercer 2-0 on Thursday night on senior night in Memphis, led by Eben McIntyre’s 1 goal and 1 assist and Filip Sabatti’s clean sheet.
After beginning the season 0-1-1 with a 1-1 tie against Belmont and an 0-2 loss to Belmont, the win was certainly nice to get for the Tigers
“That first win of the season every year is the toughest," said Memphis head coach Richard Mulrooney. "To get that monkey off our back was huge tonight.”
The Tigers got off to a slow start, without recording a shot on goal in the first 21 minutes of the game, but slowly figured out Mercer’s unique play style.
This culminated with Pittsburgh transfer Eben McIntyre’s goal in the 34th minute, where his fancy footwork and well placed shot into the bottom left corner of the goal broke the tie.
“I picked my head up when I shifted to the left, I saw (the goalkeeper) moved. I worked on that shot 1,000 times in practice," McIntyre said. "When the keeper takes a step, that’s when you put it the opposite direction."
The Tigers opened up the second half putting consistent pressure on the Mercer defense, which reached a boiling point with the Bears, and particularly with their head coach Brad Ruzzo.
On a breakaway opportunity for Mercer, Memphis won the ball with a tough tackle that Ruzzo very vocally believed should have been a foul. While Ruzzo was berating the refs, Memphis took advantage of the shift in momentum and Saad Chaouki scored off an assist from Eben McIntyre to put the Tigers up 2-0 in the 74th minute. That goal was the breaking point, as Ruzzo got tossed from the game.
While Memphis’ attack did their job, the defense was also strong, thanks to defensive anchor and former AAC Goalkeeper of the Year Filip Sabatti, who Mulrooney had high praise for after the game.
“Our backline is basically new from last year. We still have guys getting minutes for the first time," Mulrooney said. "Knowing we have Filip behind us, to help save us, it’s nice. It’s a calming presence knowing he’s protecting our goal."
As a result, Memphis was able to honor their seniors with a win, something they have not been so fortunate to do the past couple years.
“Senior night, you only get one of them,” Mulrooney said, who was grateful to get this win on this night.
The Tigers return to play on Sunday at Evansville at 6 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN+.
