Please pass the sloppy-wet ribs and put on some Elvis, UNCW’s men’s soccer team is headed to Memphis.

The Seahawks, coming off Aug. 30′ s season-opening 2-1 victory over Campbell, fly to Tenn. on Sept. 4 for the Memphis Diadora Tournament. UNCW tackles the homestanding Memphis Tigers on Sept. 5, then play Illinois-Chicago the following day.

“Last year, Memphis got us on a (3-2) win and they came back and beat us. We want to come back there and prove our stuff a little more. See if we can take care of some of our problems and make a name for ourselves there,” said senior defender Ray Soporowski.

Junior forward Keith Shevlin, from Athlone, Ireland, looks forward to a bit of a homecoming on the banks of the Mississippi River. “I’ve seen them last year. They’re a pretty good side,” Shevlin said. “They’ve got like four or five guys from Ireland. And their coach is supposed to be Irish so I’m looking forward to playing them.”

Seahawks head coach Aidan Heaney knows quite a bit about Memphis-he’s good friends with the Tiger’s head coach Richie Grant. The Tigers posted a 10-7-1 record a season ago and got picked to finish ninth in this year’s Conference USA race.

Illinois-Chicago provides a bit more of a mystery.

“I think it will be a good test, because you tend to see the same teams,” Heaney said. “You play the Carolinas and you play the Campbell’s. We play Campbell every year. [They’re] good rivalries and we have a good idea on how we’re going to play them. We have no idea how Illinois-Chicago are going to be, so that’s kind of neat to be unprepared. We’ve got to be more on our game than what they do so. And it’s all new; it’s nice to see teams from out of the region. But leaving the region provides a new experience for many of the players.

“This is the biggest road trip I’ve ever flown to and it’s going to be new experience for me as well as the younger guys,” Soporowski said. “I think it will be great. It will be a good experience going out there and it will be something different.”

But the team’s first order of business is soccer. Then they’ll quickly take in the city of Beale St., the Mighty Mississippi and steamboats.

“I’d like to do that after the game,” Heaney said. We’ll be there Thursday and we’ll fly back Sunday. We’ll play Friday, Saturday and, if possible, try to do something Sunday morning.

“Go to Graceland or something. Something educational.”