The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Set To Host 10th Annual UAB Classic
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 13, 2007
Birmingham, Ala. ----- The UAB men's soccer team will play host to the 10th annual UAB Classic at West Campus Field on Sept. 14-16. The Blazers will open play on Friday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. against crosstown rival Birmingham-Southern in what could be the final match between the two schools in what has been a historic series.
"I am really excited for this tournament," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "We have four quality teams playing in this year's event and it should be an exciting weekend of college soccer.
"Whenever we play Birmingham-Southern, it is always a good game. They always have a good team and it is never an easy game. It is a great rivalry and will be a big match. We are hoping to have an enthusiastic crowd to help us Friday night."
Mercer and Alabama A&M will open the tournament when they play on Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by the match-up between the Blazers and Panthers. On the tournament's second day, Birmingham-Southern and Alabama A&M will meet on Sunday at noon, followed by the Classic's finale at 2:30 p.m. with UAB and Mercer squaring off.
UAB may be the hottest of the four teams, coming off a pair of shutout victories last weekend. The Blazers topped Lipscomb, 3-0, on Sept. 7, followed by a 4-0 win over Centenary on Sept. 9. Junior Frank Brown leads the Blazers with six points on the strength of two goals and two assists, while junior MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Dejan Jakovic has two goals and one assist on the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Wes Johnson has started all four games in the net for the Blazers, and has recorded a shutout and 11 saves on the campaign.
Birmingham-Southern will make its seventh consecutive appearance in the Classic. Last season, BSC dropped both its games in the Classic, falling to Wright State (2-0) and Mercer (3-0). The Panthers enter this year's event sporting a 1-3 overall record. BSC captured a 1-0 win over Presbyterian in its first game of the year; however, have dropped three consecutive games entering this weekend. Senior Gino Cozzolino, who led the Panthers' offense last season (7g, 4a), has scored the only goal for his team this year. Head coach Preston Goldfarb is in his 25th season at the helm of the BSC soccer program.
The Bears of Mercer will return to West Campus Field in an attempt to defend the UAB Classic title it captured in 2006. Last year, Mercer opened the event with a 0-0 tie against the Blazers, followed by a 3-0 victory over BSC on the tournament's final day. The Bears boast a 3-1 overall record, already matching their win total of last year (3-12-1). Mercer is led by Jaime Villacis who has scored three goals on the year, while Vincente Arze, who led the Bears with seven goals and 15 points a year ago, has a team-best three assists.
Alabama A&M will be making its first-ever appearance in the UAB Classic. The Bulldogs are coming off a 6-8-1 season, but will welcome back all but two players from last year's team. The Bulldogs are 1-3 entering the tournament, losing to three California teams in No. 5 Santa Clara (3-2), San Francisco (3-2/ot) and UC Riverside (1-0). The lone victory on the season came in a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern. Alabama A&M is led by MfanaFuthi Bhembe's three goals on the year, while Mosito Ranko has tallied two goals and an assist.
UAB has won five Classic titles, with those coming in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004.
All the games can be followed live on gametracker, which can be accessed by going to the UAB website. All UAB students who present a valid ID at the gate will receive free food and a free t-shirt.
