UAB Topples Samford, 2-0, for First Win of 2018

Sunday, August 26

BBVA Compass Field

6 p.m.

UAB

1-2-0

Samford

1-3-0

Samford

UAB

UAB Topples Samford, 2-0, for First Win of 2018

8/26/2018 9:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF) Season Stats (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Second half goals from Kamilah Mustafa and Jamiera Lunsford propelled the UAB women's soccer team to its first win of the 2018 campaign as the Blazers toppled Samford, 2-0, at BBVA Compass Field on Sunday evening.

The victory is the first for UAB over Samford in seven years to the day, when the Blazers took down Samford, 1-0, on Aug. 26, 2011, while the two goals scored on Sunday were the most by the Blazers in the series' history.

Mustafa's game winner in the 50^th minute marked the first goal of her Blazer career, while Lunsford scored her first goal of the young season and third overall in the Green and Gold.

"There were three things we wanted to focus on heading into tonight's game," head coach Erica Demers said. "We did not want to think about the result, but improving, taking little baby steps to get better and fixing the faults that we had in Friday's game. We still want to focus on bigger stretches, though. I thought we played good soccer for about 60 minutes tonight, but for us, it is about extending good soccer."

Despite getting outshot 16-7, the Blazer offense took a major step forward on Sunday evening with four of their seven shots on goal. Lunsford led the charge with two shots, both of which were on frame, and an assist, while five other Blazers recorded a shot in the win.

Senior Kelsey Daugherty once again played a huge role in the match, coming up with seven saves, three of which came in the final 10 minutes of the game, to preserve her first clean sheet of the season.

After a slow first half saw the game scoreless through 45 minutes, Mustafa broke the deadlock in the 50^th minute, slotting home a Lunsford pass to score UAB's first goal of the season and give the Blazers a 1-0 advantage.

Just over four minutes later, Lunsford netted a goal of her own after a Megan Hudgens cross came back off the cross bar and landed perfectly at the sophomore's feet, which she finished with ease for the final goal of the match.

"As a team, we worked on staying compact and playing together," Lunsford said. "We focused on taking Friday's game and throwing it away and staying positive. We got a really good result tonight."

Samford was not going to back down, though, as it created five solid chances in the final five minutes of the contest. However, with the help of some acrobatic saves from Daugherty, the Blazers' backline thwarted any real danger and preserved the 2-0 victory.

UAB returns to action on Thursday night when it welcomes in long-time rival and former Conference USA member Memphis to BBVA Compass Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Tickets for Thursday's contest are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com, or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Fans can receive access to every women's soccer, men's soccer, women's basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.

For more information on the UAB women's soccer team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_WSOC).