Memphis women's soccer beat East Carolina 3-0 on Saturday to clinch its fourth straight American Conference regular-season championship, according to the school's match report.
How the match went
The Tigers struck in the 14th minute when freshman Abby Forsgren sent a long ball to Ellis Kelly, who finished into the left side of the net for her fifth goal of the season. In the 32nd minute, Kelly's shot was turned away and Zerina Markovic put away the rebound into an empty net, with Kelly and Forsgren credited with assists. Kelly sealed it in the 71st minute, forcing a turnover, cutting onto her left foot and sending a shot into the upper-left corner. Memphis then held East Carolina scoreless over the final 19 minutes.
Memphis outshot the Pirates 23-4, including 9-1 on goal, held a 9-1 edge in corner kicks and had 72 percent of possession.
Standout performances
Kelly, a sophomore, finished with two goals and an assist, tying her career high with five points in a match. She now has six goals this season and 11 in her Memphis career. Forsgren, who assisted on the first two goals, has eight assists this season, third in the conference and second among freshmen in program history. Markovic has scored three goals in Memphis's last three matches, after two off the bench against UTSA last Thursday.
The streak
The Tigers improved to 10-3-3 overall and 7-0-2 in conference play, still the league's only unbeaten team. They extended their American Conference unbeaten streak to 38 matches; the last conference loss came Oct. 27, 2022, at SMU. The title extends the longest streak of consecutive regular-season championships in conference history and gives Memphis the No. 1 seed in the American Conference Tournament.
Sources: Memphis Athletics