Oct. 9, 2005
EL PASO, Texas - UTEP's Jami Tullius scored the only goal of the match as the Miners defeated UCF, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at University Field. UTEP improved to 14-0-1 on the season and 2-0-1 in Conference USA, while the Golden Knights fell to 5-8 and 2-1 in league play.
"We had plenty of chances to win this afternoon," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "Considering our lineup, which was riddled with injuries, we played excellent. UTEP is a quality team with speed up front."
Tullius netted her goal at the 15:28 mark after Kia Sams sent a corner kick to the goal box.
The two teams went into the half with the Miners up, 1-0. The Golden Knights held the advantage in shots, 12-9, while both squads had taken four corner kicks each.
In the second half, Jennifer Montgomery attempted to even the score with 37 minutes to play but UTEP's Brittany Popoff was there to pick up her only save of the half.
Julie Snaman made an incredible diving save on a 16-yard shot by Brandi Aston.
With two minutes to go in regulation, Roberta Pelarigo tied to tie the score with a header only to have the shot go wide.
At the end of the match, UCF had outshot UTEP, 20-15, while the Miners held a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks. Snaman recorded five saves in the net for the Golden Knights, while Popoff had eight for the Miners.
UCF's offense was led by Michelle DeCespedes who had six shots, while Montgomery was second with five shots.
In the 19th minute of the match, Jessica Hallgren went down with an injury, while Kate Begley went down at the 71:50 mark with an injury of her own.
After the injuries, Courtney Baines, Kate McCain and Erin Hopkins really stepped it up to play in positions that they had not played in all season long.
The Golden Knights return to the turf Friday, Oct. 14 when the team hosts East Carolina at 7 p.m.