Mya Jones, the assists leader on the Memphis women's soccer team, proved almost prophetic Wednesday morning as she talked about what the No. 10 Tigers needed to improve heading into the final week of the regular season.

"Definitely our goal scoring," she said. "We need to put the ball in the back of the net a bit more. Once we do that, I don't think people are going to be able to touch us."

The next day, she took matters into her own hands. Just four minutes into the Tigers' game Thursday against UAB at the Billy J. Murphy Track and Soccer Complex, Jones got the ball from Grace Stordy, took on two UAB defenders as she raced toward the goal and drove the ball for an easy tap-in goal by Anna Hauer.

It was Jones' conference-leading eighth assist of the season. Midfielder Honoka Hamano added a goal less than a minute later, and the Tigers (12-1-0) scored twice in the second half to win 4-0 and capture the AAC West Division title.

The performance unlocked the floodgates of what had been a struggling attack.

Look: Memphis women's soccer makes it on to ESPN's 'SportsCenter' top 10 plays

"It's honestly kind of a relief," Jones said afterward, adding, "We could've had more tonight."

The Tigers, who are on a nine-game winning streak, have had no problems on defense this season. They have four shutouts and conceded only one goal since the start of September. All told, they have allowed just five goals, third-best in the nation.

This could be the best team Memphis has had under 24th-year coach Brooks Monaghan. One of the reasons is the veteran leadership of Stordy, Jones and fellow fifth-year Saorla Miller.

Jones and Miller met as freshmen and have been inseparable since, on and off the field.

"It was really from the jump," Miller said. "We've just been best friends ever since and I think you see that on the field with our connection."

They even had the same major — biomedical engineering — which ensured that with classes, practices and being roommates, they spent virtually all of their time together. Jones eventually switched to major in health sciences, which gave the two some space.

"We got breaks from each other," Jones said. "Maybe it was good."

It has always worked on the field. Jones led the team with nine goals last season, but she has been focused on finding her teammates this year. She has nine assists, which puts her in the top 10 in the country.

Miller has been finding the back of the net. She scored the Tigers' third goal in the 58th minute, and leads the team with nine goals this season, eclipsing the six she had in 2022.

"That's the culture you try to build," Monaghan said. "You try to get these girls to love each other off the field, because they're more likely to go to war for each other on the field."

Memphis has two regular-season games left, against Temple on Sunday and at Tulsa on Oct. 26. Soon it'll be off to the AAC tournament and then the NCAA tournament, where Memphis won two games and then lost on penalties at Arkansas in 2022.

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So how far can this team go?

"That's a loaded question for me, and I'm very superstitious," Monaghan said. "I think we can win the next game if we play well."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis women's soccer, on 9-game win streak, captures AAC West title