The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Rice
Women's Soccer Captures 2-1 Win At Rice
10/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 9, 2009
HOUSTON, Texas - The UAB women's soccer team earned a 2-1 win over Conference USA foe Rice on Friday evening at the Rice Soccer Complex. Junior Marie Yempuku scored a goal in the 16th minute, followed by a goal by sophomore Tiffini Turpin in the 41st minute, to lift the Blazers to their second straight league win.
UAB, which was ranked No. 25 in the nation in the season's first NCAA RPI index this past week, saw its record improve to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in C-USA. Rice fell to 2-9-2 on the year and 0-5-0 in conference play.
The first goal of the evening came in the 16th minute when Yempuku took a free kick from about 35 yards out and put it in the back of the net to give the Blazers the early lead, 1-0.
UAB increased its lead in the 41st minute of play when Turpin knocked in her fifth goal of the season, with the assist by senior forward/midfielder Danya Barsalona, to put the Blazers up 2-0 at the half.
The Owls scored their lone goal of the contest in the 80th minute when Kate Edwards passed the ball to Erin Scott, who put it past the goalkeeper to bring Rice within one, 2-1. Solid defense down the stretch helped UAB hold on to the 2-1 victory and move to 3-2 in C-USA.
"In the beginning of the game, we struggled a bit defensively and didn't possess the ball very well," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "We weren't as composed as we usually are, but we found a way to be up 2-0 at halftime. It was nice to see that when one part of our game isn't going as planned, other positions step up.
"We were better organized in the second half and possessed the ball a lot better. I was very pleased with the maturity of our play in the second period.
"Rice is a much better team than its record shows. They have lost nine games by one goal, so it just seems to be one of those years for them."
Rice held a slight advantage in shots, 11-10, while both teams took five shots-on-goal each during the match.
Barsalona, Turpin and Yempuku were joined by sophomore forward/midfielder Laura McCalla with a team-best two shots apiece for UAB. Rice was led in shots by Julia Barrow with three, followed by Scott and Kate Edwards with two each.
Junior Kate Blankenship tallied four saves on her way to earning the win in goal for the Blazers. Goalkeeper Meghan Erkel allowed two goals and nabbed three saves while receiving the loss for the Owls.
UAB will look for its second road win of the weekend on Sunday when they play at Houston. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
"Our players know how important every game is," said Harbin. "With only six teams getting into the conference tournament, each game is crucial. We also want to put ourselves in the best position possible to be eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and I think if we keep playing at a high level, that we can do that."
