MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 4-seeded University of Memphis men’s soccer team used a pair of goals in the final minutes of the match to upend No. 5-seeded South Florida, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament on Sunday night at the Track & Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tenn.
“Obviously, proud of the guys,” head coach Richard Mulrooney said following the match. “To go down a goal twice and then get the third goal – the adversity, the relentlessness of the guys to not give up, to continue to believe. It’s what you preach. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t, but it did tonight. The guys just had a will to them.”
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 10-4-2 on the season, while the Bulls’ season ends with a mark of 6-9-1.
KEY MOMENTS
• After falling behind 1-0 in the 13th minute on a goal from USF’s Pedro Faife, Memphis answered back less than three minutes later on header from Alberto Cruz.
• Off a free kick, Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos‘ shot from just outside the top-right corner of the box was saved by the Bulls’ keeper, but he was unable to hold it as it deflected off the crossbar and onto the waiting head of Cruz for the equalizer.
• South Florida came right back in the 38th minute with a goal from Max Wilkins to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
• With just under five minutes left in the match, the Tigers equalized again. On the attack, Jose Maria Ojeda took a left-footed shot from just inside the box, looking for the far post. A USF defender tried to clear the effort but deflected the ball into the lower-left corner of the net for an own goal, tying the match at 2-2.
• Invigorated with tying the match late, Memphis continued to attack and found the match-winner in the 89th minute.
• Off a corner kick, Hayden Anderson sent a great ball toward the far post, finding the head of Logan Longowho buried the winner into the top-right corner of the net for the match winner.
NOTABLES
• Memphis has won 10 matches in a season for the first time since 2019.
• Longo and Cruz both notched their third goals of the season, respectively, in the victory.
• Rodrigues dos Santos’ assist was his fifth of the year, second only to Anderson who tallied his team-best seventh of the campaign.
• Sunday’s match marked the first time the Tigers hosted an AAC Tournament quarterfinal since the 2019 season.
UP NEXT
• With the victory, the Memphis Tigers advance to the semifinals of the AAC Tournament to face No. 3 in the nation and No. 1-seeded SMU on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Soccer, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
2023-11-06 06:02:50
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