The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
Women's Soccer Tops Marshall, 2-1
10/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 26, 2008
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - UAB freshman midfielder Carolyn Polcari scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute to lift the Blazers to a 2-1 Conference USA victory over Marshall Sunday at Sam Hood Field.
After going 4-0-2 in their last six outings, the Blazers have seen their record go to 7-9-2 overall and 5-3-2 in C-USA matches. With the loss, Marshall fell to 5-9-4 overall and 3-7-0 in league play.
With her team trailing 1-0, sophomore midfielder Marie Yempuku had tied the game with her goal in the 58th minute.
Marshall's Marisa Leconte got a rebound off a corner kick and put one in the back of the net to give the Thundering Herd the first lead of the game, 1-0, in the 43rd minute. Leconte's goal was assisted by Erin Blakely and Angela Desumma.
UAB tied the game at 1-1 in the 58th minute when Yempuku scored a goal, her second of the season, off a corner kick by freshman midfielder Carolyn Polcari. Junior midfielder Ayana Russell was also credited with an assist on the goal.
"Carolyn took the corner kick and Ayana headed it back towards the goal where I was," said Yempuku. "I was just in a good position and I redirected Ayana's header and it went in the net. That goal was crucial for us. It definitely boosted our energy since we were down 1-0 at that time."
Polcari scored a goal of her own in the 76th minute off a free kick that was placed in the top right corner of the net to give UAB the 2-1 victory over Marshall. The score was the sixth time this season that Polcari has found the back of the net for the Blazers.
"In the first half, we were as flat as we've been all season," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "Last week was a tough week for our team and there was a lot going on outside of soccer. I think I expected us to be a little emotionally drained and exhausted, especially with playing at home this past Friday then traveling on Saturday and playing today.
"We challenged the team at halftime to find a way to bring more energy into the game, and they did. We adapted to what Marshall was doing better in the second half.
"Marshall executed its style of play well and had a number of good chances. I think we just had the better run of play in the second half and found a way to win the game."
Marshall held a 19-11 advantage in overall shots. The Thundering Herd had six shots on goal, while the Blazers took five shots on goal.
The Blazers were led by junior forward Danya Barsalona, sophomore defender Toni Gockel, senior midfielder Caitlin Marple and freshman forward Laura McCalla with two shots each. Three other players added one shot each to UAB's total.
Erika Duncan and Marisa Leconte paced Marshall with four shots apiece. Missy Gordon took three shots and Ali Lizotte added two for the Thundering Herd.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Blankenship earned the win for UAB, allowing one goal and tallying five saves. Liz Orton received the loss in goal for Marshall, giving up two goals and grabbing three saves against the Blazers.
"The way we started the first half was below par for us," said Blankenship. "At halftime, we decided to go after it as a team. We stepped it up in the second half and gained some good momentum for the rest of the game."
"We were a little off today," said Yempuku. "We weren't recovering very well in the first half. In the second half, we put more effort into it. We were recovering from our mistakes better and we made things happen to win the game."
UAB will be back in action on Thursday when it hosts Memphis in the Blazers' final regular season game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at West Campus Field.
"Thursday's game is very important," said sophomore forward Morgan Haney. "We're playing Memphis, which is one of our rivals, and it's the last game before the conference tournament. Plus, it is senior day and we really want to win for our seniors."
