DALLAS, Texas – Junior midfielder Victor Sambade scored his second goal of the season and led UAB to a 1-1 tie in the first round of the SMU Classic on Friday night. The match was the Conference USA opener for both teams, as the Blazers are now 5-2-1 overall and 0-0-1 in league play.
 
Sambade began the scoring at the 36:24 mark of the first half. The A Coruna, Spain native collected a loose ball in the SMU 18-yard box and drilled a shot from 15-yards out that beat the SMU goalkeeper into the right side of the net.
 
However, SMU would even things up just over seven minutes later. SMU’s Leone Cruz tallied his second goal of the year when he took a pass from Arthur Ivo and beat UAB goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski to tie the match at 1-1 with 1:29 remaining before intermission.
 
In the second half and both overtimes, each team had opportunities to win the game. SMU outshot UAB 12-4 during the second half, but the Blazers had a 6-2 shot advantage in the two overtime sessions. However, neither team could capitalize on their chances.
 
Woszczynski continued his strong play in the net for the Blazers, making six saves on the night. He now boasts a 0.85 GAA, while also collecting 34 saves and a save percentage of .829 on the season.
 
UAB is now unbeaten in its last four contests (3-0-1) and have only one loss in the last six contests (5-1-1). The Blazers will hope to keep the hot streak alive when they close play in the 2009 SMU Classic with a match against Houston Baptist on Sunday at 11 a.m.