At first, this one looked shaky. 

The Memphis women’s soccer team found itself tied nil-nil with AAC bottom-feeder Temple at halftime Sunday afternoon at the Track & Soccer Complex. Its undefeated conference and home record — and all the momentum it hoped to carry into the postseason — were on the line. 

A loss against two-win Temple would certainly be a blemish on an otherwise special season.

Freshmen lead in Tigers’ shutout win over UAB to clinch division

Then, the No. 10 Tigers (14-1, 8-0 AAC) came alive. They scored four goals in the first 25 minutes of the second half to erase any doubt and put away the Owls (2-12-3, 0-8 AAC) with a 4-0 win.

Despite being held scoreless in a first half for only the fourth time this year, coach Brooks Monaghan’s group looked like the better team for all 90 minutes of action on Sunday.

Memphis had 11 shots in the opening half, while it allowed Temple just one. Three of those 11 shots by the Tigers were on goal, too — they just couldn’t find the back of the net. 

But the Tigers kept plugging away.

And sure enough, it didn’t take long after halftime for the group to break through.

Nine in a row: Memphis women’s soccer team edges Charlotte

First, it was fifth-year forward Saorla Miller — Memphis’ leading goal-scorer — who scored in the 47th minute. Miller netted her 10th goal of the season and helped give her team the jolt it needed. 

Just four minutes later, freshman midfielder Honoka Hamano padded her team’s lead with a goal of her own.

Finally, fifth-year forward Mya Jones — who leads the Tigers this season with a team-high 22 points — put the finishing touches on the victory. Jones scored in the 60th and 70th minute to end any hope the Owls had of a comeback.

Memphis ended the afternoon with 22 shots and 11 shots on goal, compared to just two shots and one shot on goal by Temple.

The Tigers flipped a switch after a sluggish start in their final home match of the season to finish the 2023 campaign undefeated at home. It marks the first time the program has not lost or tied an opponent on its home pitch since the 2020 season, which was postponed until spring 2021 due to COVID-19.

Memphis women edge East Carolina, 1-0, in AAC soccer

While it looked far from a sure-fire win early on, the Tigers proved yet again that they can win in a variety of ways.

Memphis, now riding an 11-game win streak, will look to finish AAC play without a loss when it concludes its regular season with a road game against Tulsa on Thursday.

UP NEXT:

• Memphis will finish its 2023 regular season on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-7-5, 3-1-4 AAC) at 7 p.m. Thursday.
• The AAC Women’s Soccer Championship is from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 at Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The Tigers secured a No. 1 seed in the tournament with their win over UAB on Thursday.