Memphis Holds On to Defeat Cincinnati, 2-1

Tigers face host Billikens in semifinals

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Memphis scored a pair of first half goals and received some solid defense and goalkeeping in the second half in posting a 2-1 win over Cincinnati in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. The Tigers will advance to play host and No. 1 seed Saint Louis at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. On Oct. 28, Saint Louis defeated Memphis, 1-0, in overtime.

Lars Thorstensen opened the game's scoring on a 12-yard strike off a pass from Nick Glaser in the 23rd minute, his 13th goal of the season. Tommy White made it 2-0 Tigers when he connected from eight yards out on a pass from Grant Paule in the 40th minute.

"We played well in the first half. Being up 2-0 can be the most dangerous place to be, though. In the second half, Cincinnati really came at us, but we were able to hold them off", said Memphis head coach Richie Grant.

The Bearcats registered 10 of their 12 shots in the second half, but could only connect once, as Grant Stronach scored his first goal of the season on a five yard redirected serve from Tim Brown.

"The two first half goals by Memphis kind of sealed our fate. I was delighted with how our players responded in the second half, though. We created several good scoring chances, but a combination of good defense and good goalkeeping kept us from scoring," said Cincinnati head coach Jeff Cook.

With the victory, Memphis (14-5) tied the school record for victories at 14, also accomplished by the 1986 and 1992 Tiger squads. The defeat gives Cincinnati a final record of 7-9-3.

CINCINNATI      0       1       1
MEMPHIS         2       0       2

Memphis - Lars Thorstensen (13) from Nick Glaser, 23:37
Memphis - Tommy White (11) from Grant Paule, 40:59
Cincinnati - Grant Stronach (1) from Tim Brown, 71:31


Shots on Goal: Cincinnati 9, Memphis 7
Goalkeeper Saves:  Cincinnati 4, Memphis 8
Corner Kicks:  Cincinnati 5, Memphis 1
Fouls:  Cincinnati 6, Memphis 13