U of M primed for visit from second-ranked soccer Vols
Ellis Kelly — who has won all three AAC freshman of the week awards this season — leads the Tigers with five goals. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
Two undefeated and untied teams, both of whom are nationally ranked. A cross-state rival that many Memphians have no trouble ginning up distaste toward.
If Thursday’s women’s soccer match on the Park Avenue campus isn’t the biggest regular-season game in University of Memphis history, it’s certainly on a very short list.
Coach Brooks Monaghan’s squad, ranked 14th in this week’s United Soccer Coaches poll, welcomes in the University of Tennessee for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the Billy J. Murphy Soccer and Track Complex. Like the Tigers, the Volunteers will arrive with victories in all five of their matches.
Joe Kirt’s team downed Western Carolina in its last match, winning, 3-0, on the road on Aug. 31, thanks to goals from Keaton Mitchell, Reese Mattern and Jenna Stayart. Tennessee has yet to concede a goal in 2025 and is outscoring the opposition, 18-0.
The Vols opened the season on Aug. 14 with a 1-0 victory over then top-ranked North Carolina.
Memphis, meanwhile, has been idle since a 2-1 victory over Missouri on Aug. 28. A match scheduled for Aug. 31 at Iowa State was canceled due to bad weather.
Ellis Kelly — who has won all three AAC freshman of the week awards this season — leads the Tigers with five goals. Ai Kitagawa has chipped in with four while Flavie Dube’, Elise Perron, Taliah Brooks and former Harding Academy standout Ashley Henderson have scored twice.
Memphis has outscored its five opponents, 19-3.
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John Varlas
John Varlas is a lifelong Memphian who has covered high school sports in various capacities for over 20 years.
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