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Women's Soccer Dominates In 7-0 Exhibition Victory Over Jacksonville State
Aug. 19, 2007
UAB vs. Jacksonville State Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior forward Jill Porto tallied four goals by herself as the UAB women's soccer team defeated Jacksonville State, 7-0, in an exhibition match Sunday afternoon at West Campus Field. The Blazers dominated most aspects of the game, including outshooting the Gamecocks by a count of 29-4. Porto got things rolling for the Blazers by knocking in a pair of goals within the first 10 minutes of play. Her first score came just over four minutes into the contest, with an assist by sophomore Danya Barsalona, followed by her second goal at the seven minute mark, which was unassisted. UAB held Jacksonville State scoreless and entered halftime with a 2-0 lead over the Gamecocks. In the first half, the Blazers held a 14-2 shot advantage over Jacksonville State, including eight shots on goal. "I was very pleased with the first 15 minutes of the game," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "I thought we were organized well on defense, we were good in transition and we were attacking with confidence. "We got a little lax in the last 30 minutes of the half. I did think that we struggled in the first half with balls in the air. I thought Jacksonville State beat us on almost every one of those." Porto secured a hat trick by nabbing her third goal of the day in the 64th minute, with an assist by freshman Justine Hartigan, to put the Blazers up 3-0. Senior Sally Palmer threw in a pair of back-to-back, unassisted goals during within the next 10 minutes to increase UAB's lead, 5-0. Porto scored her fourth goal of the day in the 75th minute of play, with an assist from freshman Morgan Haney, to make the score 6-0 in favor of UAB. A final goal by freshman Allison Belsterling rounded out the match for the Blazers, giving them a 7-0 victory over the Gamecocks. "After working playing in the W-League in the summer, I think that helped me grow a lot," said Porto of her four-goal performance against the Gamecocks. "I felt confident during the game and ready to take on defenders." Porto's four goals came on 11 shots, including 10 shots on goal for the Blazers. Palmer added eight shots, including four shots on goal and two scores, while sophomore Allison Auchter and Hartigan both tallied two shots each. "During the past year or so, Jill and Sally have taken themselves up a notch," said Harbin. "Clearly, you can see Jill's confidence and maturity is better, even from just a year ago. She has taken good strides, especially with playing in the W-League during the summer. Jill has just got physically stronger and we hope this is a sign of things to come this season. "Sally is unbelievable creative. With that, she is also skillful, strong and strikes the ball as well as anyone that I've saw." Jacksonville State had four shots during the match, including two by forward Amber DeLaney. Kim Kimmel and Kristi Pereira also notched one shot each. In goal, redshirt freshman Kate Blankenship got the win for the Blazers, while Christine Cunningham received the loss for Jacksonville State. "Everyone contributed today," said Harbin. "It was especially nice and exciting to see how well the freshmen played. Every one of them has the potential to make a difference for us." "I was really happy with the way the team played today," said Porto. "I was especially impressed with the impact that the freshmen made. The team as a whole played with confidence and we were all on the same page." UAB will play its second, and final, exhibition contest on Aug. 25 when the Blazers take on Middle Tennessee State at 7 p.m. in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
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