Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UAB
Marshall Soccer Advances to Conference USA Championship Match
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 13, 2009
TULSA, Okla. - After playing 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, Marshall outlasted UAB in a penalty shootout, 4-3, and advances to the championship match of the Conference USA Tournament at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Complex on the campus of Tulsa.
The Herd's freshman stepped up in the shootout as four first-year players -- Tom Jackson, Devin Perkins, Zach Hunter and Aaron Hembree -- all connected on their PK attempts.
Daniel Withrow, the Conference USA Freshman of the Year, proved why he is the top goalie in the league as he saved two Blazer penalty shots. Withrow's second shootout save was on the fifth and final UAB shooter, which secured the Marshall victory.
Diego Ayala nearly ended the game with 20 seconds remaining in regulation when his shot from outside the box ripped the post.
"It was a hard fought game," head coach Bob Gray said. "I thought Diego ended it, but we went to PKs and our freshman really stepped up."
MU outshot the Blazers 16-12, placing five shots on goal compared to UAB's three.
Marshall will face Tulsa in the championship contest as the top-seeded Golden Hurricane defeated Kentucky 2-1 in the nightcap of Friday's semi-final contests.
"We are going to enjoy this win tonight," Gray said. "We will have a light training session tomorrow, try to get our legs back under us, and hey, we are 90 minutes away from playing in the NCAA Tournament."
Sunday afternoon's championship match is set to kick off at 1 p.m. CST (2 p.m. EST). The contest will be broadcasted live on CBS College Sports. Fans can also watch GameTracker by logging on to www.conferenceusa.com
