Gameday: Pirates Host No. 8 Memphis

Game 13: No. 8 Memphis (13-1-0, 5-0-0 AAC) at ECU (5-6-1, 2-1-0 AAC)
Date	Sunday, October 13
Time	1:00 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Johnson Stadium)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Video
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUsoc Instagram: @ECUSoc Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After a dominant win on Thursday, the ECU soccer team will face a stiff challenge when conference leaders Memphis come to Johnson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

"Memphis will be an extremely tough opponent," said head coach Jason Hamilton. "They are playing very well right now."

ECU (5-6-1, 2-1-0) saw its offense explode for three second-half goals in a 3-0 home win over Tulsa. It was the largest conference win for ECU since beating Memphis 3-0 in 2015. Tori Riggs and Grace Doran both grabbed a goal against the Golden Hurricane and the pair are tied with Jenna Dages for the team lead with three goals apiece. Daria Draovitch grabbed an assist on Riggs' tally and leads the Pirates with three helpers this season, placing her in a tie for tenth in the conference. In the net, Melanie Stiles made four saves to put the finishing touches on ECU's sixth shutout of the season, a mark that already matches the total from all of the 2018 season. In three conference games, Stiles is allowing 0.33 goals per game, the second-best mark in the league.

Memphis (13-1-0, 5-0-0) has been a dominant force this season and is ranked No. 8 in the country. The Tigers sit in first place in the conference standings with a perfect 5-0-0 record and have outscored opponents 13-1 in that span. Memphis' offense leads the conference, scoring 2.86 goals per game and Clarissa Larisey is the spearhead of that attack. Larisey leads the league with 13 goals this season and is tied for the lead with 27 points. Samantha Murphy (16), Stasia Mallin (15), Tanya Boychuk (14) and Mya Jones (10) all have reached double-digits in points as well. The Tiger defense is also at the top of the AAC, allowing just 0.29 goals per game. Elizabeth Moberg leads the conference with a goals against average of 0.17 and nine shutouts.

"They have some very talented players and year in and year out, they're a tough team to play against," Hamilton said.

Memphis has historically had the upper hand against ECU, with the Tigers holding a 15-2-2 record against the Pirates. Last season, the two teams were tied 1-1 before a penalty kick allowed Memphis to escape with a 2-1 overtime win. That made it three consecutive wins in the series for the Tigers. ECU's only wins in the series came in 2014 and 2015 and the 2014 contest was in the American Quarterfinals. ECU is 0-1 against ranked teams this season, having lost to then-No. 6 Virginia. It will be the first time the Pirates have hosted a ranked team since ECU tied the then-No. 5 Cavaliers in September of 2017.

"That's what being in this conference is all about, you have to be prepared to play some of the best teams in the country every weekend," Hamilton added. "The rest of the way this year, we will face multiple top-25 opponents and this will be a good test for our group to go up against and see where we're at."

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., inside Johnson Stadium. Admission is free for all fans with the game live streamed here and live stats found here.

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Players Mentioned

Jenna Dages

Grace Doran

Daria Draovitch

Tori Riggs

Melanie Stiles

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