The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Soccer Set To Host Conference USA Foe Houston
10/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB women's soccer team will look to continue making waves in the 2003 Conference USA standings on Friday as the Blazers return home to face the Houston Cougars at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field. The C-USA meeting will be the Blazers' first home contest since Sept. 28.
"Everyone is excited about playing at home again," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "It's always good to return to the comforts of playing at your home stadium and it's a good feeling to know that we will be here for the next two weeks. This is a big game for us and Houston is going to be a very tough, physical team to play against."
UAB (8-4, 4-2 C-USA) heads into Friday's vital league matchup tied for fourth place in the conference, while Houston (3-10-1, 1-5 C-USA) comes into the match as the 11th-place team.
Only one game separates the top-five teams in the conference. Tulane currently leads C-USA with a 5-1 record and is closely followed by DePaul, 4-1-1, and TCU, 4-1. The Blazers and Marquette are tied for the fourth-place position with identical 4-2 conference records. UAB's C-USA losses have both occurred in overtime against DePaul, 2-1, and Tulane, 4-3. Marquette's pair of defeats came versus Tulane, 2-1, and TCU, 1-0.
"We've been stressing to our team how close everyone is in the conference," Harbin said. "The difference between the top teams and the bottom teams is very minute and I know that any team is capable of beating any other team in this league on any given day. I think that this is the most balanced that the conference has ever been and every game has major ramifications."
All three of Houston's wins this season have come in the fashion of 1-0 victories, including Sunday's shutout win over C-USA rival Memphis at home at Robertson Stadium. The Cougars' victory over Memphis snapped an eight-match winless streak that dated back to a Sept. 10 win over Southwest Texas State.
The Cougars have played nine of 12 matches at home this season and have posted a lackluster 1-7-1 record. On the road, Houston has tallied a 1-2 mark, with its lone victory coming at Southwest Texas State. The Cougars' first victory of the 2003 campaign came against Eastern Washington on Aug. 31, in the Baylor Invitational.
"Houston's record is very deceptive," said Harbin. "They have a really good team this season and they always play us tough. I think that every time we've played each other over the years that it's been a one-goal game and this one will probably be the same way."
UAB owns a slight 3-2 advantage in the all-time series against Houston. In the first four years of the C-USA rivalry, the teams split the matches 2-2, with the home team winning every contest. Last season, UAB interrupted the trend as the Blazers posted a 1-0 victory on the road in Houston.
The UAB women's soccer team will look to extend its winning streak to three straight matches against the Houston Cougars on Friday as the Blazers play their first of four final home games of the season at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field.
