Nov. 9, 2007

Senior goaltender Brittany Popoff made 11 saves, but the UTEP offense was kept in check by Memphis as the Tigers snuck past the Miners, 1-0, in the Conference USA seminfals at University Field Friday evening. Ashley Berra scored the lone goal of the contest at the 32-minute mark.

The Tigers move into Sunday's championship match to face UCF, while the Miners' fate now rests in the hands of the NCAA selection committee.

"The team showed a lot of heart and character this year," UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. " We beat a lot of good teams this year. We just came up a little short today."

The Tigers came out agressive, but Popoff came off her line to intercept a cross and shut down a chance for Memphis two minutes in.

The Miners had their first offensive opportunity of the match at the seven minute mark, with Casey testing Briones on a blast from 30 yards out. The ball took a wicked hop in on net, but the Tigers' netminder made the save.

Popoff was called upon again at the 16-minute mark, turning away a chance by Victoria Dalton.

With Memphis controlling possession and playing in the UTEP portion of the pitch, the Miners deployed an offside trap to slow down the Tigers. It worked to perfection, wiping out a pair of scoring chances.

As the half wore on, the Tigers continued to threaten. Popoff came up with a big save on a scrum in the box, denying Emiko Schwab on a point-blank chance. The rebound was laced wide.

Memphis' pressure finally merited a goal with 13 minutes to play in the half. A blast by Vendula Strnadova was blocked by the UTEP defense, but the rebound came right to Berra who one-timed it into the back of the net.

UTEP did not rattle, though, as it nearly tied the match on the ensuing possession. On the kick off, the Miners played the ball deep into the left wing, where Briones ventured far off her line to try to clear the ball out of harms' way. The attempt was blocked, and the Miners initially took possesion. A cross into the box was blocked by the Tiger defense and sent out of danger before the Miners could fire in on net.

With a little more than four minutes to play in the half, the Tigers tried to add to their lead. Popoff had other ideas, though, as she registered a brilliant stop on a rocket by Amanda Olszewski.

In the second half, the Orange and Blue quickly worked the ball deep into the Tigers' portion of the pitch. A ball was played into the box toward Tameka Sumter, who was brought down. No foul was called, however, and the Tigers cleared the ball.

Memphis earned a quartet of corner kicks the next five minutes, but each time UTEP's defense showed off its prowess in the air by winning the ball.

At the 54-minute mark, the Miners managed to get some things going offensively. Cara Nordin played a ball to a streaking Jami Tullius, who flicked it in on net with her left foot. Briones used quick reflexes to trun away the senior's chance.

UTEP continued to pressure, with Anoop Josan rifling a blast on net that Briones snatched cleanly out of the air.

The Tigers then mounted their own offense flurry, registering two shots in a span of 25 seconds. Both times, however, Popoff rose to the occassion with the saves.

Popoff was called upon again at the 65-minute mark, and the senior delivered a sparkling save on a shot by Berra.

UTEP then used a couple of crisp passes to work deep into Memphis territory, and a ball was lobbed into the box by Nordin. Josan controlled it and drilled a shot in on net, only to have Briones make the save.

With six minutes to play in the period, Kristin Wernimont kept the Orange and Blue within striking distance by making a stop on the goal line by chesting it away.

The Miners were unable to mount another offensive opportunity, however, allowing the Tigers to escape with the win.