Southern Miss
UAB
Soccer Plays UAB to Double Overtime Draw
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - For the first time in series history, Southern Miss and UAB soccer recorded a tie, finishing the game 1-1 in double overtime at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex in Hattiesburg, Miss.
The game marked the fourth time in the 16 meetings between the two teams that went into overtime and the first time the Golden Eagles and Blazers needed double overtime. Trailing 1-0, Southern Miss used a late goal by Casey Adkins to knot the score at 1-1 and send the game into extra time.
With the tie, Southern Miss remains undefeated in its last five home games. The Golden Eagles are 4-0-1 in that stretch at the Southern Miss Soccer Complex with four shutouts.
UAB notched a slight 19-to-18 edge in shots, while the Blazers posted 11 shots on goal compared to seven by the Golden Eagles. UAB had a 17-to-11 advantage in shots at the end of regulation, but Southern Miss rallied in overtime, outshooting the Blazers 7-to-2 to close the gap.
The goal by Adkins was first of the season for the senior. Adriana Garcia was credited with the assist - her first of the year. Adkins tied Brooke Hendrix and Ashley Johnson with a team-high four shots on the night. Breann Hedin and Becky McMullan each added two shots apiece. Johnson and McMullan paced the team with two shots on goal apiece.
Defensively, Brittany Taylor returned between the posts for the Black and Gold after missing the last seven games with an injury. The sophomore goalie allowed one goal while notching a season-best 10 saves. It is the eighth time in Taylor's two-year career she has notched double-digit stops.
In the first half, the two schools played even with neither team scoring a goal. The Blazers held an 8-to-4 advantage in shots in the first stanza, including a 4-to-2 edge in shots on goal. Taylor was able to block all four shots on frame to increase the Golden Eagles' streak of not allowing a goal at home to 455 minutes.
UAB was the first team to score, netting a goal in the 51st minute. The Blazers' Kimberly Fincher took a pass from Morgan Key-Adams. From 10 yards out, Fincher put the goal into the lower left post of the net. The goal ended the Southern Miss streak of not allowing a goal at home at 461 minutes.
Southern Miss tied the game late with a goal by Adkins. Garcia crossed the ball to about three yards out where Adkins finished knotting the game at 1-1 with just three minutes to play in regulation. The goal was Adkins' first of the season.
The game remained tied at 1-1 for the final three minutes, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Southern Miss managed four shots compared to just one by UAB. The Golden Eagles put three of those shots on frame, but Blazers' keeper Angelia Jimenez was able to thwart any scoring opportunity.
After 10 scoreless minutes of overtime, the two teams entered the second overtime period for the first time in the series' 17-year history. In the second overtime, the Black and Gold once again outshot the Blazers, 3-to-1. The Golden Eagles placed one of the three shots on goal, but Jimenez kept the ball out of the net. The two teams concluded the second overtime knotted at 1-1, finishing the game with the first tie in the series history.
Southern Miss returns to the pitch on Sunday afternoon as the Golden Eagles host Middle Tennessee in a game slated for 1:00 p.m. Live stats and in-game tweets (@USMGoldenEagles / @SouthernMissSoc) will be available throughout the game.
