Nov. 4, 2005
HOUSTON - UTEP's Jami Tullius recorded two goals and two assists as the Miners defeated UCF, 5-1, in the semifinal round of the 2005 Conference USA Women's Soccer Championship Friday night in Houston. The Miners improved to 19-2-1 on the season, while the Golden Knights fell to 12-10.
"I thought that we put in a good effort tonight," said head coach Amanda Cromwell. "We outshot them (UTEP) and had more corners. The game came down to chances and they (UTEP) were able to finish their shots. I thought we had gained some momentum when we scored our goal but UTEP regained the momentum when they scored two minutes later. The girls really overcame a lot this season with the injuries. I am really proud of the effort the whole team showed. My heart goes out to the seniors who finished the season as conference champions."
Roberta Pelargio paced UCF with one goal on six shots and two shots on goal, while Kristin Bilby, Hanna Wilde and Jennifer Montgomery were second with three shots each.
UTEP scored the first goal of the match with 75 seconds to play in the half. Brandi Aston took a pass from Melissa Abraham outside the box. Aston then dribbled a couple of yards and sent a shot past a diving Julie Snaman.
At the end of the first half, UTEP was up, 1-0. UCF had outshot UTEP, 9-7, while the Miners held a 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Miners extended their lead to 2-0. Tullius fed the ball to Cara Nordin who scored from 15 yards out.
In the 65th minute of the match, Pelarigo headed the ball in off a Jessalyn Withers corner kick.
Two minutes later, UTEP took a 3-1 lead when Tullius passed the ball to Kia Sams for the score.
The Miners added a fourth goal at the 75:49 mark. Tullius scored her 14th goal of the season on a header past Snaman. Kaletia Roberts picked up the assist on the goal.
With 12 minutes to play in regulation, Tullius netted her second goal of the night to make it 5-1 in favor of UTEP. Cortney Casey sent a corner kick into the goalbox which Tullius then netted for the final goal of the night.
At the end of the match, UCF had outshot UTEP, 22-16, and held a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks.
The NCAA Tournament brackets will be released on Monday.