Robert Sausaman is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Tigers soccer program, returning to his alma mater in 2010. While fulfilling his duties as a full-time assistant the past two years, Sausaman also took graduate courses in sports and leisure commerce and business administration. He earned his Master’s of Business Administration in May of 2012 and Master’s of Science in sports and leisure commerce in August of 2012.
Last season, Sausaman was in charge of a defensive group featuring returnees J.J. Greer, Jordan Johnson and Thomas Shannon, as well as two-time Tennessee State High School Player of the Year Chandler Gagnon.
The Tigers’ backline was instrumental in securing six shutouts in 2011, the program’s most since 2007. One of those six shutouts came in Memphis’ 1-0 win over No. 18 Bradley, a game in which the Tigers defense held the Braves without a shot-on-goal.
On the strength of the defensive backline, Memphis posted a 366:42-minute shutout streak that began against Marshall, included games versus FIU, UNO and Tulsa and ended with a 90th-minute, penalty-kick goal at UAB. The penalty kick at UAB was the only goal the Tigers surrendered in a span of 484:38 minutes from the end of the Marshall game until the middle of the Central Arkansas contest.
Under Sausaman’s direction, Greer converted from his forward spot in 2009 to the backline in 2010. The move proved a successful one for Greer, who earned 2011 All-C-USA second team honors, in addition to taking home the final C-USA Defender of the Week award of the 2010 season.