Oct. 26, 2007

Box Score

Jami Tullius scored twice, including a golden goal 1:03 into overtime, to lift the UTEP soccer team to an emotional 2-1 victory against Marshall on "Senior Night" at University Field Friday evening.

Tullius, one of the five seniors on the squad honored prior to the match, helped her fellow classmates go out in style. By virtue of her two-goal effort, Tullius became the first Miner in program history to eclipse the 100-point barrier. She now has 103 career points.

More importantly, UTEP improves to 10-6-1 on the campaign, including 4-2 in Conference USA action. It marks the school-record sixth season with at least 10 victories.

Jessica Salvi made two saves for the Orange and Blue, including a crucial stop with 58 seconds to play in the match. Marshall Netminder Liz Orton registered 10 saves, as she was busy from the onset of the match.

The Miners out-shot the Thundering Herd, 21-9, and took eight corner kicks compared to just two for Marshall.

UTEP came out with plenty of energy, earning a corner kick the first minute of the match. The Miners were unable to convert on the opportunity, however, as the ball was cleared out of danger.

Marshall then tried to put create its own offensive opportunities, but a well-designed offside trap wiped out a pair of chances.

Tullius vied for the match's first tally on the ensuing possession. Her blast was collected cleanly by Orton. The play proved to be crucial, as the Thundering Herd vaulted to a 1-0 lead only minutes later.

A long clearing pass led to a breakaway for Molly Snead. She laced a shot that snuck past a diving Salvi, putting UTEP in an early hole.

The Miners did not rattle, as they quickly pushed the ball back into the Marshall portion of the pitch. Tameka Sumter blocked a pass by the Thundering Herd defense and sped in alone on net. Orton came off her line to cut down the angle, which helped her deny the sophomore. The ball deflected out of bounds for another corner kick, but UTEP was unable to capitalize.

The Orange and Blue remained determined, with Sumter and Anoop Josan hooking up on a give and go that forced the MU defense to knock the ball out of bounds. On the corner kick, Josan lobbed a ball into the box that was batted around before it was sent toward midfield.

The next several minutes, the pace of play slowed as the two squads tightened their defensive marking.

UTEP managed a good opportunity with 15 minutes to play in the stanza. Melissa Desilets sent a pass to Cortney Casey, who whirled around and drilled a shot that forced Orton to leap to her left. She bobbled the ball initially, but collected it before any of the Miners was able to pounce on the rebound.

Casey was at it again with seven minutes left in the period. The junior tried to blast the shot over the head of the MU keeper, but Orton was able to reach up and snatch it out of the air.

That play proved to be the final chance of the half for either squad, allowing the Thundering Herd to hold their 1-0 lead at the break.

UTEP came out a bit flat in the second half, and Marshall nearly capitalized. Marisa LeConte stole a ball from a UTEP defender and drilled a shot toward the net. It slipped past Salvi, but sophomore defender Neresa Taylor was on the back line and made the team save.

The play awoke the Miners, who elevated their intensity. The attitude adjustment resulted in a pair of great scoring chances, with the orange and Blue garnering a pair of corner kicks on back-to-back possessions. Chelsea Winbush laced a header high, and Sumter had a shot blocked out of bounds.

The persistent pressure by UTEP paid off in the form of the match-tying-goal at the 60-minute mark. Casey played a ball into the box off a corner kick, which a Thundering Herd defender knocked out of the air with her hands. The referee correctly whistled the foul, resulting in a penalty kick for the Miners.

Tullius calmly stood over the ball and rocketed it past a harmless Orton to tie the match at one.

Following the tally, the physical play in the match intensified as both squads became much stingier defensively. There was only a trio of shots the next 15 minutes, three by UTEP, but all were well wide of the mark.

As the clock wound down in the half, the Miners continued to be in control of possession. The steady attack netted UTEP a free kick from about 30 yards out, as the Thundering Herd were forced to foul to halt an odd-man rush. Josan blistered a shot bounced in on Orton. The keeper made the save cleanly, much to the dismay of Casey who was ready to bury the rebound

With 6:30 to play in the regulation, Orton made her best save of the match. Winbush and Sumter put together a brilliant give-and-go sequence, resulting in a point-blank shot from Winbush. The sophomore unleashed a shot that Orton managed to tip just wide, setting up UTEP's eighth corner kick of the tilt.

Hamson lifted a ball into the box, where Josan elevated above the pack and hammered a header which screamed toward the net. Orton dropped down to her knees to deny the sophomore and keep the match tied.

Salvi was called upon with 58 seconds to play, and the senior came up in a big way by making a save on a shot from 10 yards out.

In overtime, the Miners quickly worked the ball into Marshall territory. A botched clearing attempt came to Tullius, who took a dribble to compose herself before blasting it into upper 90's territory to set off the celebration.

The Miners will play their home finale on Sunday against East Carolina at 1 p.m.