The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Set To Battle No. 10 Indiana, Jacksonville
9/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 20, 2007
Birmingham, Ala. ----- The UAB men's soccer team will put its four-game winning streak on the line, when is travels to Bloomington, Ind. to take on the No. 10-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. Following that game, the Blazers will return home to take on Jacksonville on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 1 p.m. at West Campus Field.
"These are two important games that could set the tone for us the rest of the season," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "When we play Indiana on Friday, we will be playing one of the best teams in the country. They are a very talented, deep and well-coached team. Then to turn-around and come back home to face Jacksonville will certainly test our guys mentally and physically. But when you are playing in conference play, conference tournaments and NCAA tournaments, you have to be ready to play two games in a matter of days, so it will provide us with a good measuring stick of what's to come."
It marks the third consecutive weekend the Blazers will play two games over a three-day span. Last weekend, UAB had a pair of shutout victories over crosstown foe Birmingham-Southern and Mercer, en route to capturing the 2007 UAB Classic crown. The Blazers opened the event with a 3-0 shutout over the Panthers. Following that contest, the Blazers defeated Mercer, 1-0, in overtime in the championship game. The title marked the first time UAB won its event since the 2004 campaign and sixth time overall during the 10-year event.
Friday's match in Bloomington, Ind. marks the fourth time in the series history that Indiana and UAB will meet on the pitch, with the Hoosiers holding a 0-1-2 advantage. Last year, the two teams met at the Notre Dame Classic, with the Hoosiers squeaking out a 2-1 victory. The only other time UAB played IU in Bloomington occurred on Aug. 30, 2003 at the IU Adidas/Credit Union Classic, when the two squads battled to a scoreless draw.
Sunday's game against Jacksonville will mark the first time the two teams will meet on the soccer field. All students who bring a valid student ID will receive free food at the game. Both games can be followed live on gametracker.
NOTES:
Blazes Capture UAB Classic Title
With a pair of shutout victories over crosstown foe Birmingham-Southern and Mercer, the UAB men's soccer team captured the 2007 UAB Classic crown last weekend. The Blazers opened the event with a 3-0 shutout over the Panthers. Following that contest, the Blazers defeated Mercer, 1-0, in overtime in the championship game. The title marked the first time UAB won its event since the 2004 campaign and sixth time overall during the 10-year event.
Familiar Faces Returning To Familiar Places
When UAB makes the trip Bloomington this week, it will mark the return for three Blazers. Head coach Mike Getman and assistant coach Ernie Yarborough both played for legendary IU head coach Jerry Yeagley, and both began their coaching careers under the third-most winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's soccer history.
Getman, who completed both his undergrad (1981) and masters (1987) from Indiana, spent three seasons as an assistant coach under Yeagley from 1984-86. He was also a three-year letterwinner while with the Hoosiers from 1977-81.
Yarborough, UAB's goalkeeper coach, played in the net under Yeagley, compiling a 10-1-1 overall record and a 0.55 goals allowed average during his four seasons (1991-95). Yarborough also began his coaching career under Yeagley, working from 1997-99 as a volunteer assistant coach.
Current UAB freshman goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski is also making a return trip home. Woszczynski had a stellar high school career at nearby Columbus (Ind.) North High School. Woszczynski has played in one contest this season.
Wes Johnson Named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week...Again
For the second consecutive week, UAB goalkeeper Wes Johnson has been tabbed the Conference USA Defensive Player of Week. Johnson's second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week award marks the first time in school history the same UAB player has won back-to-back awards.
Johnson's latest honor came for the week of Sept. 17, when he helped the Blazers to the UAB Classic title. Johnson recorded back-to-back shutouts against Birmingham-Southern (3-0), followed by a 1-0 overtime win over Mercer. Johnson was tabbed to the UAB Classic All-Tournament Team for his efforts.
The Lilburn, Ga. native also claimed the award for the week of Sept. 10, for his role in two shutout victories. Against Lipscomb on Sept. 7, Johnson made four saves en route to picking up his first shutout of the season and fourth of his career in a 3-0 UAB victory. On Sept. 9, against Centenary, Johnson only played the opening 45 minutes as the Blazers built an insurmountable 4-0 lead.
Johnson has recorded three straight shutouts and ran his consecutive minutes streak of not allowing a goal to 373 minutes - a span of four games.
Frank Brown Earning National Recognition
UAB junior forward Frank Brown is off to a phenomenal start to the 2007 campaign, and is starting to receive national recognition for his efforts. For the week of Sept. 17, Brown was honored as the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. Joining goalkeeper Wes Johnson, who was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week, the two Blazers became the first UAB duo to sweep the league's weekly awards since Nov. 3, 2004.
Furthermore, Brown was tabbed to the College Soccer News' National Team of the Week. With the nod, Brown is the first Blazer to earn the accolade since Jerson Monteiro earned a spot on the national team for the week of Oct. 16, 2006.
Brown had an outstanding week in leading the Blazers to the 2007 UAB Classic championship. Brown scored two game-winning goals in two games, en route to earning the Most Valuable Player of the tournament accolade. Against Birmingham-Southern, the Preston, England native scored the game's first goal en route to a 3-0 victory against the Blazers' crosstown rival.
In the championship game against Mercer, Brown scored the game-winning goal 4:22 into the first overtime, to record the Blazers' first UAB Classic championship since 2004. He has now scored a goal in each of the Blazers' last three contests. He currently leads UAB with four goals and 10 points on the season.
Entering the Indiana game, Brown leads the conference in goals (4), goals per game (0.67), points (10) and game-winning goals (3), while also ranking second in assists (2).
Blazers Dominating C-USA Stats
Despite losing its two leading scorers from a year ago, the UAB offense has not lost a step. In fact, it seems the Blazers have improved in the area. Entering the game at 10th-ranked Indiana, UAB leads Conference USA in nearly every offensive category. Below is a breakdown of the most recent C-USA stats and where the Blazers rank:
Category League Leader
Goals 1. UAB (12)
Assists 1. UAB (13)
Points 1. UAB (37)
Goals Per Game 1. UAB (2.00)
Assists Per Game 1. UAB (2.17)
Goals Allowed 1. UAB (4)
GAA 1. UAB (0.66)
Shutouts 1. UAB (4)
Corner Kicks 1. UAB (36)
Fouls 1. Kentucky (98)
Offsides 1. UAB (26)
Yellow Cards 1. UCF (14)
1. Kentucky (14)
Scoreless Streak Still Going
With a pair of shutout victories over Birmingham-Southern (3-0) on Sept. 14 and Mercer (1-0/ot) on Sept. 16, the UAB defense seems to be a force this season. The two shutout victories marked the third and fourth consecutive games the defense has held their opponent scoreless. It marks the first time since the beginning of the 2003 campaign the Blazers have put together four consecutive shutouts. The Blazers back line will try to keep a scoreless streak of 418 minutes intact when it takes the pitch this weekend at No. 10 Indiana.
