The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Auburn-Montgomery (Exh.)
Blazers Defeat AUM, 3-1, In Exhibition Finale
8/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 25, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's soccer team used goals by three different players, en route to a 3-1 victory over the Auburn-Montgomery Senators, in the squad's final exhibition match of the season. Juniors Trey Gregory, Frank Brown and Bobby Chanthongphio each found the back of the net to help down the Senators, who entered the contest ranked No. 7 in the country in the NAIA poll.
After being outshot 13-7 in the opening 45 minutes, the Blazers outshot the Senators, 11-9 over the remainder of the game. UAB collected 18 shots on the evening, 10 of which came on net, while also holding a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks.
"I thought we played well tonight," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "Auburn-Montgomery is a very solid team. They are big, athletic and experienced. I felt we were able to create a lot of scoring opportunities throughout the match and I am pleased with the outcome."
The Blazers opened the scoring in the 26th minute on Gregory's second goal in as many contests. Brown broke down the right sideline and lofted a cross to the middle of the goal. MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Dejan Jakovic drew two Senator defender on him, forcing the junior to flick a header to the feet of a wide-open Gregory, who then deposited the shot into the back of the net for the early one-goal lead.
However, at the 38:02 mark, AUM evened the score at 1-1 with a rocket off the foot of Bart Markell, beating UAB goalkeeper Wes Johnson. But the Blazers would take the lead for good just over a minute later, when freshman Michal Mravec crossed the ball to Brown, who scorched a shot into the lower left side of the net to give his team a 2-1 lead at the 39:15 mark.
Following the intermission, Chanthongphio sealed the victory when he received a pass from sophomore Sibusiso Macwele, put a nifty move on an AUM defender and beat the goalkeeper to the lower left side, increasing UAB's lead to 3-1.
"It's amazing what a week of training will do for a team," Getman said. "I thought last week (against Mobile) we were very tired because we had five hard practices in five days leading up to that game. Tonight, we were fresher and certainly played a lot sharper. We still have some progress to make and positions to finalize, but we are getting better."
The Blazers will open the 2007 regular season when they travel to Akron, Ohio to compete at the Westfield Cup on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2. UAB will open play Friday against Hartwick at 2:30 p.m., and close the tournament against host Akron on Sunday at 5 p.m.
