Former Memphis Tigers Women's Players Making Impact on Northern Super League Rosters
Seven former Tigers on Opening Day rosters more than any school in the country
One of the more remarkable things about the women’s soccer program at the University of Memphis is just how many Canadian players they have signed over the years. Those Canadian players have all played a big part in the success of the program as the women’s soccer team has been the most consistently successful program at campus. With the formation of the new Northern Super League in Canada, the former Tigers are now able to play professionally in their home country.
The Northern Super League was founded by Diana Matheson, who amassed 206 caps and scored 19 goals for the Canadian Women’s National Team between 2003 and 2020. During that time she helped Canada earn two Olympic bronze medals, at London 2012 and Rio 2016. The league will feature six teams in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. Of those six teams, five of them feature former Memphis Tigers.
The most recent Tiger to appear in the Northern Super League is Anne-Valerie Seto playing for the Halifax Tides. Seto played for Memphis from 2021-2024 and in 67 appearances for the Tigers registered eight goals and five assists. But Seto isn’t the only former Tiger set to play in Halifax this season. Joining her in Nova Scotia are Saorla Miller and Christabel Oduro. Miller appeared in 98 games during her time at Memphis and earned First Team All Conference honors in 2023 when she scored twelve goals and nothced three assists as the Tigers went 20-2 on their way to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Oduro’s time at Memphis was from 2010-2013 and she ranks second in program history with 47 goals during her career.
In addition to Miller and Seto, two other players from that historic 2023 team are part of the Northern Super League this year. Mya Jones was a four-time All Conference member and was taken in the third round of the 2024 NWSL Draft by the San Diego Wave, where she scored two goals in 19 appearances before being loaded to AFC Toronto for this season. Grace Stordy, like Jones, was a four-time All Conference member during her time at the University of Memphis and gets to play for her hometown team, the Calgary Wild.
Finally, 2021 graduate Tanya Boychuk will ply her trade for the Montreal Roses after having played in Sweden last season. During her time as a Tiger she racked up 21 goals and nine assists. Rounding out the pack of Canadian Tigers is Lisa Pechersky who, after playing at PSV in the Netherlands and being sold for the second-highest transfer fee in team history, will play for Vancouver Rise.
The contributions to the program by Canadian players is not something that has escaped Head Coach Brooks Monaghan’s notice.
"Seeing the growth of women's soccer in Canada into what it is now is really neat, and it's great to see so many former players of ours across multiple generations," he said. "Our program would not be where it is today without our Canadian players, and for the success of these players to be this visible is great."
Memphis is just about to finish up their spring season with a game tonight on the road against UT-Martin after having played home games against the Toronto Blizzard, Arkansas State, and Ole Miss. The regular season schedule should be relseased some time in the late summer.
There are a few schools in the NCAA that have done really well recruiting in Canada. The University of Maine is another that comes to mind. But when it comes to the Memphis Tigers, they've had a strong contingent specifically from Calgary. In 2023 they had 4 Calgarians - Mya Jones, Grace Stordy, Izzy Monck and Anna Hauer. Jones and Stordy have gone pro and Monck and Hauer have since transferred. We interviewed all four of these players for our podcast when they were playing for the Tigers.
The first game was great quality. the video production was way better than nwsl and mls in my opinion. The cameras were nice and cinematic which I like a lot. It will be a great league. Canada has a great system going with their, league 1 bc, alberta etc provinces too,.