The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
No. 25 UAB Hosts Crosstown Rival BSC
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 22, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The 25th-ranked UAB men's soccer team steps out of Conference USA play Saturday night at West Campus Field against crosstown rival Birmingham-Southern. The Blazers (8-4-0, 5-1-0 C-USA) are hot off an upset of No. 11 South Florida on Wednesday. The Panthers, also 8-4-0 overall, pulled into first place in the Big South Conference with their Wednesday win over rival Winthrop.
While UAB owns a dominating 14-5-3 lead in the all-time series between the schools, which are separated by a few city blocks, Birmingham-Southern took last year's tilt, 2-1, on a Karim Dietz goal in the 82nd minute as the Panthers won on their home field.
"This is a top-quality team (BSC) and this is a big rivalry," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "Because it's a big rivalry, it will be an emotional game. We absolutely respect them as a team and know that they were good enough to beat us last year, and they are a better team this year. We'll put our best 11 on the field and try to win it."
The Blazers certainly have momentum on their side heading in. UAB is a winner in seven of its last eight matches and swayed from its normal defensive posture against South Florida Wednesday night, winning 4-3. USF and UAB came into the contest as the top two Conference USA teams in terms of fewest goals allowed and shutouts. Junior forward Jason McLaughlin scored his first goal of the season in the 88th minute to clinch the showdown for the Blazers. UAB led, 2-0, at the half and saw the previously once-beaten Bulls come back to take a 3-2 lead before responding. Maurice Hughes, Sandy Gbandi, and C-USA Player of the Year candidate Leandro de Oliveira also scored for the Blazers. Jerson Monteiro leads UAB with six goals and 15 points on the season.
Speaking of goals, Birmingham-Southern has scored its fair share, which will challenge Sandy Gbandi, A.J. Robles and the Blazer defense, which allows a program-low 1.07 goals per game. Preston Goldfarb's Panthers lead the nation in goals scored per game with an average of 3.00. Senior forwards Jamie Holmes (12) and Dietz (11) are first and second, respectively, in the NCAA's individual scoring charts. Birmingham-Southern has won two straight and five of its last six. The Panthers also have a top-25 upset under their belts this year, besting then-No. 12 Coastal Carolina on the road, 1-0, on Sept. 26.
"Well, everyone expected Wednesday night's match to be a defensive struggle between us and South Florida, but it was 4-3," Getman recalled. "So, I don't know what to expect. Certainly they are a great goal scoring team and are very good on the attack. We'll have to slow that down and hopefully create some chances on the other end for us at the same time."
When UAB returns to Conference USA action at Memphis on Wednesday night, Getman's club has the advantage of controlling its own destiny. Each team is tied atop the C-USA standings with 5-1-0 league marks. The victor takes the reigns in a hotly-contested regular season title race. With just three regular season league matches to go, the Blazers are within a shot of their third C-USA regular season title.
