STORRS, Conn. - No. 3 SMU defeated No. 2 Memphis 1-0 in the first semifinal of the tournament to advance to the conference championship. Claire Oates scored the lone goal.
In the 85
th minute, Haley Thompson sent a corner kick into the box. Oates was the first Mustang to the ball as she sent it out to Katharine Herron. Herron passed the ball back to Oates whose header found the back of the net. The goal would hold, sealing the Mustangs victory and advancing them to the conference championship.
The goal was Oates' 10
th and the Mustangs' 48
th of the season. SMU goalkeeper Catie Brown made three saves in the match to record her fourth complete shutout of the season.
Memphis out-shot SMU, 7-5, in the match as the Tigers placed the only shot on goal in the first half. Memphis also had the 7-5 advantage on corner kicks. The loss snapped a seven-match win streak for Memphis.
The win sends SMU into its first championship match since the entering the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 4 USF and No. 1 UConn on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The championship will air on ESPNU.
For more tournament information go the
TheAmerican.org/wsoccer.