UTEP sophomore Vic Bohdan (63′) got on the score sheet but Marshall was able to slip past the Miners, 2-1, in double overtime on Thursday night at University Field.
The Thundering Herd (3-4-2, 1-1) received goals from Marah Abu-tayeh (78′ and 107′) to get past the Miners (5-4-1, 1-1) in a hard-fought double-overtime game.
“We couldn’t finish our chances today and that really hurt us in the end,” UTEP soccer head coach Kevin Cross said. “We can’t lose games at home in overtime and have to change our attitude heading into Sunday’s game against NM State.”
The Miners started the first half defensively sound, only allowing five shots. Only one of those was on target. UTEP took seven shot of its own, forcing Megan Bonelli to make three saves while also earning four corner kicks.
The best chance for the Orange and Blue came in the 24th minute, when April Pate played a ball through to Lauren Crenshaw and her shot from 25-yards out was saved by Bonelli.
Marshall’s starting goalkeeper Bonelli suffered an injury in the 60th minute, requiring freshman Lindsey Langley to make her official debut for the Herd. The Miner offense took advantage of the change when Pate once again played a ball through the defense to find Bohdan. She shot the ball in the top corner, giving the Miners a 1-0 lead.
Abu-tayeh leveled things with a shot from just outside the box that took a deflection off a UTEP defender and barely bounced off the far post to the back of the net.
Senior GK Alyssa Palacios recorded eight saves in the contest, putting her at 380 in her career. She trails Amanda Smith (1996-99), needing 58 saves to tie her at 438 in all-time career saves.
At the end of regulation both teams were evenly matched, putting up identical numbers across the board. UTEP led on corner kicks, 5-2, while Marshall outshot the Miners, 14-13.
The Thundering Herd applied tough pressure to begin the first overtime period. Palacios recorded three saves in the opening four minutes. The Miners’ best chance came off a corner kick in the 94th minute, when Nicole Pugsley was able to connect on a header but Langley made the save.
Abu-tayeh found her second goal of the night off of a rebound from her sister, Farah Abu-tayeh, lifting Marshall to its third win on the season.
UTEP soccer will return to action on Sunday at 6 p.m. MT to take on NM State in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 at University Field. Sunday will feature a White Out promotion.
Fans wearing white get $2 tickets. FirstLight Federal Credit Union fans will be given out to the first 200 in attendance.
