The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazer Women's Soccer Blanks Jacksonville State, 4-0
8/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 24, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB women's soccer team used its second straight shutout victory to defeat the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 4-0, on Sunday as the Blazers concluded their exhibition season in front of a rowdy crowd at West Campus Field.
With the victory, UAB finished its 2003 preseason with an unblemished 2-0 record. The Blazers knocked off 13th-ranked Tennessee, 4-0, on Friday at the Alabama Shootout in Huntsville, Ala.
"I've definitely been pleased with these results," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "In these games, the main thing that we're trying to figure out is how we need to be playing and how to establish a rhythm early. We didn't do that today. We didn't establish that rhythm in the first half and we really weren't assertive at all until Liz (Bosscher) scored the first goal."
After a sluggish beginning in the 90-degree heat, UAB's Liz Bossher opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 24:08 mark in the contest. Bossher, the Blazers' midfielder from Louisville, Ky., gathered an errant Jacksonville State pass, turned around a defender and rifled a 20-yard shot past the keeper to give UAB a 1-0 lead.
"Once we started asserting ourselves in the game, good things started to happen," Harbin said. "It was hot out today. We were coming off of an emotional game on Friday and I kind of think that we sat back on our heels a little bit out there in the first half. In the second half, we did the little things that we needed to do and it turned into us having more scoring opportunities."
The Blazers scored three second-half goals on Sunday and held Jacksonville State to only two shot attempts in the second frame.
Junior Jenny Rynders gave UAB a 2-0 lead at the 57:50 mark in the contest as the Blazer midfielder knocked in a crossing pass from Jill Knottek. The pass was perfectly timed from Knottek and found Rynders' feet just as she was making a run into the box.
With 9:47 left in the match, UAB's Jessica Barr received an entry pass from Jennifer Calalang and beat the Gamecocks' Amanda Stephens to up the score to 3-0. Shortly after, Calalang joined in on the scoring by heading a corner kick from senior Jessica Samulski. The Blazers' fourth goal of the afternoon came with only 3:02 remaining in the contest.
"In the second half, we worked on just making the game simple," said Harbin. "We worked on winning the 50-50's, we moved into seams and we passed the ball to feet. Essentially, we just stayed connected to the game and played with a lot more energy and a lot of good communication."
UAB's freshmen goalkeepers Julie McFarlane and Katie Forbis combined to earn their second straight shutout victory on Sunday as the pair accounted for three saves on the Gamecocks' six shot attempts. McFarlane, a native of Greenville, S.C., recorded three stops in the opening half, while Forbis guided the defense in the second frame.
The UAB women's soccer team will begin its 2003 regular season on Friday, Aug. 29, as the Blazers host the Auburn Tigers at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field.
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SCORING SUMMARY West Campus Field - Birmingham, Ala. 1 2 F UAB 1 3 4 JSU 0 0 0
UAB: Liz Bossher (unassisted), 24:08 UAB: Jenny Rynders (Jill Knottek), 57:50 UAB: Jessica Barr (Jennifer Calalang), 80:13 UAB: Jennifer Calalang (Jessica Samulski), 86:58
Shots: UAB 27, JSU 6. Saves: Julie McFarlane (UAB) 45:00, 3 saves, 0 goals; Katie Forbis (UAB) 45:00, 0 saves, 0 goals; Amanda Stephens (JSU) 90:00, 11 saves, 4 goals.
