The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Rapids Down Blazers 2-0 In Exhibition
3/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
March 12, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Wolde Harris and Eugene Sepuya scored goals to lead the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer to a 2-0 victory over UAB's men's soccer team in a spring exhibition contest Friday night. It was the second spring contest for the Blazers, which faced an MLS team for just the fourth time in school history.
Harris headed a cross from Terry Cooke in the 25th minute that was deflected by Sepuya to put the Rapids on the board first. In the 55th minute, Cooke and Harris connected again for Colorado, which is enjoying its spring training in preparation for an April 2 season opener.
"I thought our players played very well," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "I was happy with our effort and the amount of possession we controlled. They had five or six solid chances to score. We had three or four, but you're not going to get a lot of chances against a Major League Soccer team. Our backs did a good job defensively, however, and A.J. Robles played fantastic in goal for us.
"It was overall a great learning experience for our team," Getman added. "We played well against a very good team of professionals which will prepare us for the fall season."
UAB returns all but two letterwinners from a 2004 squad which was runner-up in both the Conference USA regular season and postseason tournament. Getman's squad finished 2004 with a 12-7 overall record and 7-2 mark in the league. The Blazers' previous MLS exhibitions have resulted in ties with both the Chicago Fire and the Dallas Burn.
Getman's Blazers will return to spring action on March 21 in Jackson, Miss., in an exhibition contest against the Chicago Fire, also of Major League Soccer.
