The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Gearing Up For Conference-Leading Charlotte
10/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 4, 2002
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB (4-3-2, 0-1-1 C-USA) is gearing up for possibly its most important game of the 2002 season as the Blazers play host to conference-leading Charlotte (6-2, 3-1 C-USA) Saturday, October 5, at 7 p.m. on West Campus Field.
"We have got one of the top teams in the conference coming to our place, so we are looking at this game as one we need to win," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "We have seen this team earlier this year when they competed at the Nike Classic, so we are familiar with them. It should be a great game between two very good teams."
Charlotte comes into the contest winning six of its last seven games. Most recently, the 49ers played host to nationally-ranked South Florida.Charlotte's Mira Mupier scored an unassisted goal at the 15:09 mark, which proved to be the game-winner as the 49ers won 1-0. Goalkeeper Lucas Mackanos made five saves to record his third shutout in six starts this season. Mupier leads the team with four goals, three assists and 11 points on the campaign.
The Blazers are coming off a disappointing 1-1 tie to East Carolina. UAB dominated the contest, outshooting the Pirates by a final count of 29-11, including 17-3 in the first half alone. Sophomore Chris O'Neal scored his second goal of the season towards the end of the first half, however, the Blazers failed to score again despite putting 15 more shots on goal. ECU goalkeeper R.J. Marvinney made a season-best 15 saves in the contest.
Entering the contest, the Blazers hold a 12-5-1 all-time advantage in the series. Last season, the two teams battled through a double overtime thriller, with UAB scoring in the 116th minute to pull out a 2-1 victory. Charlotte has not been victorious over the Blazers since a 2-0 conference tournament victory on November 9, 1997.
