How Good Are Memphis Soccer Really?
The Tigers have roared through the regular season and sit poised for a deep playoff run
As the NCAA women’s soccer season moves from regular games to conference competition, it’s becoming clear who the true dominant teams are this year; like the University of Memphis Tigers.
Coached by Brooks Monaghan, in his 25th season, the Tigers are ranked third overall in the United Soccer Coaches poll — their highest national ranking ever. They ended the regular season undefeated, with a 15-0-2 record (9-0-1 in the American Conference).
But one important detail can’t be missed. When factoring for RPI, or ratings percentage index — a statistic that weighs a team’s success, their opponents’ successes, and the overall strength of their schedule — Memphis falls to No. 19. True, 19 is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s also the highest ranking by a member of the American Conference by a mile; the next-ranked school from the conference is the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, at No. 43.
This statistic, though important contextually, does not necessarily mean the Tigers are punching above their weight. They’re a talented team who finished their undefeated regular season on Oct. 27 with a dominant 6-0 win over Temple University, and they’ll begin the American Conference Tournament by playing the No. 8 seed, the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They should make it to the NCAA Tournament with no issue; ideally for the Tigers, they’ll automatically qualify by winning the conference tournament, thereby likely securing home field advantage.
To understand Memphis’s true competitive value, it’s helpful to look back at their schedule this season. While Memphis plays in a mid-major conference, they saw non-conference action against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Missouri early in the season, and they defeated all three teams. A test against fellow SEC member Tennessee resulted in a tie, and a contest against the Big 12’s Iowa State was cancelled.
While Tennessee and Vanderbilt have risen to the top of the SEC’s ranks, Ole Miss and Missouri linger towards the bottom. The fact that Memphis was able to not only compete with, but also defeat power conference rivals emphasizes that their No. 3 ranking may not be such a fluke, though their lack of other power conference opponents in their schedule no doubt contributes to their vastly lower RPI ranking.
Looking beyond the stats and towards the players and personnel can also tell you a lot about this team and their drive to win. Head coach Brooks Monaghan, who has been at the Tigers’ helm for 25 years, has earned 15 league championships, 12 NCAA Tournament berths, 17 All-American honorees, 137 All-Conference selections, and has racked up over 300 wins. Monaghan himself has earned Coach of the Year honors four times — 2007, 2011, 2019, and 2023.
And, of course, there’s the output on the field. Memphis’s stacked roster is especially highlighted by sophomore midfielder Ai Kitagawa, who has already earned almost every recognition an NCAA soccer player can collect. As a freshman, she led the team in assists (6) and finished seconds with goals (6), and earned AAC Freshman of the Week Honors four times (Aug. 19, Aug. 26, Oct. 7, and Oct. 14). In her sophomore campaign, she’s been named in TopDrawerSoccer’s Top 100 players and as Player of the Week (Oct. 14), and she was named the AAC’s Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 25).
Defender Finley Lavin and forward Ashley Henderson are also crucial components of the roster. The former, a junior, was the 2024 AAC Defender of the Year and led the team in minutes (1,709) her sophomore year. The latter, also a junior, was named to the AAC All-Second Team in 2024 and has twice been named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week in the 2025 season (Sept. 29, Oct. 19).
The furthest Memphis has ever gone in the NCAA Tournament is the round of 16. Is this the year they make it even further, bolstered by their inspiring coach and team of consistent over-performers? Or, at the end of the day, will they fall to the powerhouses, and thus, to their RPI?