BOX SCORE
TAMPA, Fla. - In a wet and rainy thriller on Friday night at Corbett Stadium, No. 2 seed Memphis advanced to its first-ever American Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship match with a 1-0 win over No. 3 seed UCF Knights in the first semifinal of the night.
The No. 19/18 nationally-ranked Tigers played staunch defensive all game long and got the game-winning score with just nine minutes left in regulation on a header by senior forward Marie Levasseur.
Memphis locked down on a strong UCF offense as the Tigers limited the Knights to only five shots in the match, a season low. UCF was also only able to put one of its attempts on goal. Memphis more than doubled that output with 13 shots in adverse weather but Knights goalkeeper Vera Varis came up with five saves to keep her team in the match until the closing seconds.
Neither team could find a first-half goal, but it was Memphis which was able to dictate play and had several chances stymied by Veras.
It looked as though UCF swing the tide and go ahead but a ball that found its way past the goal line off the foot of Kristen Scott in the 47
th minute was called back due to offsides.
It was Memphis that finally broke through in the 81
st minute as junior Stasia Mallin sent one in from atop the left box and Levasseur was there to head it over the outstretched arms of UCF goalkeeper Vera Varis for the goal.
With the shutout victory, Memphis goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg moves back into a tie as the national leader in clean sheets with 12 this season.
It was Levasseur's sixth goal of the season and fourth gamewinner of 2018.
Memphis plays for The American Championship on Sunday, November 4, at 2 p.m., on ESPNU.