Massive Second Half Spurs Tulsa Comeback in 4-2 Senior Day Win

Sunday, October 22

Hurricane Stadium

1:00 pm

Tulsa

5-7-5, 3-1-4

UAB

5-6-5, 1-3-4

UAB

Tulsa

Photo by: Bill Powell

Massive Second Half Spurs Tulsa Comeback in 4-2 Senior Day Win

10/22/2023 5:24:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. – Trailing by a pair of goals at halftime, the Golden Hurricane came out and scored four goals over the final 45 minutes to beat UAB 4-2 on Senior Day at the Hurricane Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Ashlyn Fernandez bagged a pair of goals, her first two of the season, while Liliana Fernandez dispatched a penalty and Leah Diaz put the icing on the cake with a late goal. Kayla Fernandez recorded two assists and Jordan Frederick added one. The win moves Tulsa into a tie for fourth in the conference with 13 points and assures the team a spot in the conference tournament.

Tulsa improves to 5-7-5 on the season and 3-1-4 in conference play. UAB falls to 5-6-5 this season and 1-3-4 in The American.

"Unbelievable," Tulsa head coach Jim Rhein said. "We went into halftime and we talked. I never raised my voice, but we just discussed what we saw and what we needed to do different. The second half was just a display of the character of this team. It epitomizes who they are. They don't quit and they don't give up. They believe they can do anything."

The Golden Hurricane will wrap up the regular season at home on Thursday against a top-10 Memphis Tigers team. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

How it Happened
UAB stunned the home team with an early goal not quite three minutes into the match. Lauren Lucero took possession of a partially cleared ball off a UAB corner. From outside the box on the left, she unleashed a rocket right to the upper 90 on the near post. The shot could not have been placed any better as the Blazers took a 1-0 lead on her first goal of the season.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 26th minute. Jessica Wheeler played a through ball that released Jolie St. Louis. The flag stayed down as St. Louis rounded goalkeeper Tatum Sanders and with her left foot passed the ball into the net to go up 2-0.

A big second half was needed from Tulsa to keep conference tournament hopes alive, and Ashlyn Fernandez lit the spark in the 58th minute. Kayla Fernandez lifted a corner into the box and Ashlyn raced in to meet it with a powerful header that was unsavable for the UAB goalkeeper, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Liliana Fernandez made sure all the Fernandez sisters earned a point on the day when she stepped up to take a high-pressure penalty after Leah Diaz was felled in the box at the 74:14 mark. The senior cooly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and rolled it into the bottom left to tie the game.

The youngest Fernandez came through again three minutes later in the 78th, when Tulsa had a free kick on the left side of the pitch. Kayla whipped in the free kick and Ashlyn met it with another perfect header and suddenly Tulsa had overcome the 2-0 deficit to lead 3-2.

Diaz, who drew the earlier penalty, put the game to rest in the 81st. Jordan Frederick played her through beyond the defense, and the freshman beat the goalkeeper to the right post with a low, hard shot, giving Tulsa the 4-2 lead, which would serve as the final score.

Game Notes

Tulsa was outshot 8-7, but both teams put five shots on goal.
UAB owned a 7-3 advantage in corners.
Tulsa is tied for fourth with SMU on 13 points heading into the final matchday of The American.
After scoring only two goals in its opening six games, Tulsa has gone on to score 24 in the past 11.
Seventeen of Tulsa's goals this season have come in the second half of action.

Scoring Summary
Tulsa 0 4 - 4
UAB 2 0 - 0

Individual Scoring
Lauren Lucero (UAB) at 2:28
Jolie St. Louis (UAB) at 25:08 (Jessica Wheeler)
Ashlyn Fernandez (Tulsa) at 57:34 (Kayla Fernandez)
Liliana Fernandez (Tulsa) at 74:14 (PENALTY)
Ashlyn Fernandez (Tulsa) at 77:50 (Kayla Fernandez)
Leah Diaz (Tulsa) at 80:05 (Jordan Frederick)

Goalkeeper Saves
Tatum Sanders (Tulsa) – 3
Eve Beyer (UAB) –1