After 90 minutes of play and 10 goals, the UTEP soccer team played to a 5-5 tie in its lone exhibition contest before next Saturday's season opener against North Texas.
The intra-squad game was a nine-on-nine format with six former Miners playing on the Alumni team.
"It was nice to see how the team performed in game situations," coach Kevin Cross said. "We got some game fitness in and that can only help to prepare us for next week."
UTEP led 4-0 at the intermission before giving up five unanswered goals in the first 30 minutes of the second half.
Junior midfielder Leslie Platz knotted the score at 5-5 at the 82:27 mark on an assist from sophomore forward Angie Kleinfelder.
With just under a minute remaining, sophomore forward Jami Tullius nearly gave the Alumni the victory, but her blast from just inside the box was stopped by freshman goalkeeper Mandy Roche.
Roche and sophomore Brittany Popoff each logged 90 minutes in goal and made numerous saves while impressing Cross.
"It was nice to play them both for 90 minutes," Cross said. "Each girl made some smart decisions on their end of the field."
The Miners will officially open their tenth season of intercollegiate play Aug. 26-28 with the Eighth Annual Miner Classic, presented by the International Soccer Store. UTEP will face UNT on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Eastern Illinois a day later. Both games will begin at 1 p.m.
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