SAN ANTONIO – A more aggressive second half saw both teams put a flurry of shots and scores on the board, but UAB (4-2-1) broke the deadlock with an 85th-minute game-winner over UTSA (5-3) on Abbey Burns’ penalty kick for the 2-1 win in Thursday’s American Athletic Conference opener at Park West.
The opening half’s chess match saw limited attacks, as UAB worked possession-based movement and managed to limit the Roadrunners to just 18 percent in the attacking zone during the first half – amounting to a 59-41 UAB possession advantage. At the break UTSA held a 2-1 shot advantage over UAB, keeping the Blazers to a mere 12 percent in the attacking zone during the opening half.
However, coming out of the locker room, UTSA’s adjusted press applied immediate pressure on the Blazers in the second half and the pace quickened to a quick UTSA lead. In the 49th minute, Michelle polo found Olivia Alvarez down the left side, who beat her defender and dropped a cross in perfect position for the header from freshman Addy Johnson – notching the third goal of her career, each in the past two games.
But the Roadrunners’ momentum swing was short-lived, as Maia Sirota tallied the equalizer on the other end in the 57th minute, while UTSA and UAB traded shots across the second half. With a 1-1 tie and the clock winding down, a replay-affirmed handball in the 18-yard box proved costly, granting Burns the Blazers’ penalty kick and the lead heading into the closing minutes of the game.
UTSA finished with a slight 9-8 lead on total shots, but the Blazers edged out a 5-3 shot-on-goal advantage and ended the possession battle on top 55-45. In addition to the assist on Johnson’s goal, Alvarez also put up two shots, as did Lulie MacFarlane, with the pair leading the Roadrunners’ attacks.
Goals
UAB: Maia Sirota (57’), Abbey Burns (85’)
UTSA: Addy Johnson (49’)
Quoting Coach Derek Pittman
“I’m really proud of our players. I thought they did exactly what we asked of them, we defended them exactly how we wanted to, controlled the game for large portions and I thought we deserved a lot more from the game but it’s a cruel sport sometimes. Sometimes you play really well, and you lose, and sometimes you play poorly and win, but tonight was a really good performance by our team and something I feel like we can build on. I know our players are going to be disappointed, but they’ve got until midnight to get over it and we go on to get ourselves prepared for ECU.”
UP NEXT: With Sunday off, UTSA will head out next week to East Carolina. The Pirates were picked No. 3 in the preseason AAC poll and are currently 4-0-3 after topping Temple, 2-1, Thursday night in Philadelphia.
- UTSA -