The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Soccer Hosts TCU In Critical C-USA Matchup
10/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB women's soccer team will look to remain among the elite teams in Conference USA on Friday as the Blazers square off against the TCU Horned Frogs in a critical league meeting at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field. TCU is currently the first-place team in the conference, while UAB is in striking distance at only one game back.
"This match is going to be huge for both teams," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "Not only will it go a long way in determining the conference championship, but it will also play a vital role in the seeding for the conference tournament. Our players understand that all three of our remaining games are very important and they've been practicing with a sense of urgency this week."
UAB (10-4, 5-2 C-USA) heads into Friday's conference matchup looking to extend its winning streak to three-consecutive matches.
Last week, the Blazers defeated both Houston and cross-town rival Birmingham-Southern to complete their second weekend sweep of the season. At West Campus Field on Friday, UAB stonewalled Houston, 1-0, and then earned its second straight shutout of the weekend against Birmingham-Southern, 2-0, on Sunday.
TCU comes into this weekend as the hottest team in the conference. The Horned Frogs are currently in first place in C-USA and they have won their previous five matches against conference opponents. TCU's lone loss in league competition came against DePaul in a 2-0 contest held in Chicago on Sept. 21.
Since then, the Horned Frogs have reeled off five-consecutive conference victories against Marquette, 1-0, Saint Louis, 3-2, Houston, 3-2, Southern Miss, 2-0, and Tulane.
"TCU has been on fire this season," Harbin said. "They have been playing some really good soccer and Dave Rubinson is an outstanding coach. He has done a great job of turning their program around. Last season, they only won two games and now they are in first place in the conference with one week remaining. It's going to be a very good match."
UAB holds a 2-0 lead in its all-time series against TCU. The young rivalry began in 2001 with the Blazers earning a momentous 2-1 double-overtime victory at West Campus Field. UAB then followed its 2001 win with a 5-3 shootout victory last season against the Horned Frogs on the road.
Friday's contest versus TCU has been tabbed "Senior Day" as the UAB women's soccer team will honor its three seniors for their hard work and dedication over the past four seasons. The following is a list of the three Blazer seniors: Jennifer Calalang, Jill Knottek and Jessica Samulski.
Calalang, a native of Orlando, Fla., has played a key role for the Blazers ever since she set foot on campus in 2000. During her freshman campaign, she appeared in 16 matches and started in three contests.
She was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and scored her first collegiate goal against Houston. Throughout her four seasons at UAB, Calalang has continued to progress as a leader and has accumulated five career goals and two assists.
"Jen has developed a tremendous ability to create goal-scoring opportunities," said Harbin. "She also does a tremendous job of restoring structure in our attack whenever needed."
Knottek, a native of Midland, Texas, led the Blazers in scoring with four goals and was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in the fall of 2000. Since then, she has consistently remained one of the Blazers' top goal scorers and is currently tied for fourth on UAB's all-time, goal-scoring list.
Last season, Knottek was honored by C-USA as a member of the all-conference third team and finished the year ranked third in the league in both goals and points. During her illustrious four-year career at UAB, she has compiled 22 goals, 12 assists, seven game-winning goals and 56 points.
"Jill came here as a defender and has played every position but goalkeeper," Harbin said. "Now, she's going to be leaving as one of our all-time leading goal scorers."
Samulski, a native of Columbia, S.C., played in 17 matches as a true freshman and moved into the starting lineup halfway through the season. Since then, she has proven to be a beacon of strength for the Blazers with her hard work and dedication on and off the field.
In 2001, Samulski garnered Dean's List honors and was named to the prestigious C-USA Honor Roll for the first of two times during her collegiate career. Despite being one of the team's top defending midfielders, she has also made her mark on the offensive end of the field and has registered two goals, four assists and eight total points during her career.
"Jessica has been at the heart of our attack while also anchoring this fall's defense that has allowed the least goals in UAB women's soccer history," said Harbin. "In addition to the tremendous impact that each of these seniors has had on the field, they will be missed even more for the diverse and wonderful people that they are. Each one of them has been a pleasure to coach."
The UAB women's soccer team will attempt to remain undefeated against the TCU Horned Frogs on Friday at 7 p.m. as Blazers begin their final home weekend of the 2003 season at West Campus Field.
UAB would also like to encourage its fans to arrive to the match a few minutes early on Friday as the Blazers' three seniors will be honored prior to the contest.
The UAB marketing department has tabbed this weekend as its "UAB Soccer Youth Extravaganza" and will hold a free youth clinic at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The clinic will be held at West Campus Field and will be conducted by Alabama native Leslie Gaston of the WUSA's Atlanta Beat. Gaston will be assisted by UAB head coach Paul Harbin and members of the 2003 UAB women's soccer team. The clinic is open to the public and both boys and girls are welcome between the ages of 5-18.
