Oct. 27, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Junior Geneil Newbern scored two goals and sophomore Kylie Hayes added a goal and an assist to lead Memphis to a 4-2 Conference USA victory over rival UAB in the regular season finale for both teams.

The Lady Tigers improved to 10-6-2 overall and 6-2-1 in C-USA play. It is the third-straight 10-win season for Memphis, and the 6-2-1 league mark is the best in the program's history. The Blazers fell to 6-11 overall and 4-5 in C-USA.

"It was a great game," said head coach Brooks Monaghan. "The game had some highs and lows for us. We had a lot of confidence with our early 2-0 lead, but then UAB came back to tie it at halftime. We made some halftime adjustments, and were able to bounce back and earn the win in the second half.

"It was a tremendous win for us, and even though we don't know what seed we will be in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament, we are carrying a lot of momentum into the postseason with three-straight wins. We showed a lot of character and composure after UAB tied the game, and we scored the two second-half goals for the win. It was a total team effort tonight."

The Lady Tigers jumped out of the gate early, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Hayes scored the first goal on a breakaway in the 6th minute, and netted the score on a Shoko Mikami assist. Two minutes later, Newbern increased the Lady Tiger lead to 2-0 on her first goal of the game. Hayes assisted on Newbern's score.

However, the Blazers responded with goals in the 10th and 17th minute to tie the contest at 2-2. The game remained tied at 2-all until intermission.

Seven minutes into the second half, Memphis took the lead for good on Newbern's second goal. The score came off a corner kick assist from Mikami. The Lady Tigers then put the game away when Brittany Baldwin scored off a Lia Fannin assist in the 73rd minute.

Memphis junior goalkeeper Isabel Briones had eight saves in posting her 22nd-career victory in net. With her 22nd win, Briones is the winningest goalkeeper in Lady Tiger history.

The Lady Tigers return to action next week when they travel to Dallas, Texas, to compete in the Conference USA Tournament. Pairings, dates and game times will be announced at a later date.