Oct. 4, 2008

Final Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Tulsa's Austin Neil scored the game-winning goal 1:09 into the first overtime to lead the 15th-ranked Golden Hurricane to a 2-1 victory over UAB on Saturday night. The defeat was the first time in four games the Blazers have lost when playing extra time (1-1-2).

"I thought we played very well at both ends against a very good team," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "I thought our guys did a good job of creating chances. We had several opportunities to regain the lead and just couldn't finish. Anything can happen when you play overtime and unfortunately we didn't get the breaks tonight. This was a tough loss in a well-played collegiate game."

Tulsa's (6-3-1, 2-0 C-USA) game winner came when Joe Salem crossed the ball into the box and found the head of Neil. Neil then hammered home a header into the lower right corner to give his team the victory just 69 seconds into the opening overtime.

The Blazers (3-5-2, 1-1) got off to a fast start and scored the game's first goal at the 33:38 mark. Junior Two-Boys Gumede made several nifty moves to beat two Tulsa defenders and found King open on the left side. The sophomore forward drilled a shot into the upper left corner for his first tally of the season, and gave the Blazers an early one-goal lead.

However, the lead did not stand as the Golden Hurricane answered just over three minutes later when Salem scored his first goal of the season. Salem, who finished the night with a goal and assist, evened the score when he converted a header off a corner kick, which beat UAB goalkeeper Wes Johnson to the lower right side of the net.

Tulsa would finish the night with a 16-7 shots-on-goal advantage, including an 11-3 edge after the first half. Johnson would finish the game with five saves, while Tulsa's Tyrel Lacey made three stops in the contest. The loss marked the first time this season UAB has scored the first goal of a contest and failed to come out with a win or tie (2-1-1).

Of UAB's five defeats this season, four have come against opponents ranked in the top-25, with one coming against a team ranked No. 2 in its region. Furthermore, all five have been one-goal losses.

The Blazers will step outside of conference play on Wednesday night when they take on in-state foe Alabama A&M on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The contest is schedule to kickoff at 7 p.m. CT at West Campus Field and can be followed live on Gametracker by logging on to UABsports.com.

"Alabama A&M is a very good team and could be the most talented team we will play all year," Getman said. "We can't worry whether it is a conference team or a non-conference team we are playing. We need to learn how to finish games off no matter who our opponent is."

The match is free to UAB students who have a valid student ID. Additionally, students and UAB men's soccer season ticket holders are encouraged to come and enjoy free food and drinks at a pregame tailgate that will begin 90 minutes before the game (5:30 p.m. CT).