The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
SIU-Edwardsville
UAB Trips Up SIU-Edwardsville, 1-0
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 25, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Junior midfielder Two-Boys Gumede scored the game-winning goal with just under nine minutes remaining in regulation to lift the UAB men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over SIU-Edwardsville in the final non-conference game of the regular season. The victory snaps a three-game losing skid and improves the Blazers to 5-8-2 on the campaign.
"Obviously we've struggled to win games this year even though we've played well all season," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "This was a good win because it gives us confidence heading into the final three games of the year. At the same time it allowed us to play a lot of different players, so it was a great team win."
After controlling most of the possession and having several dangerous opportunities, the Blazers finally broke through the Cougar defense at the 81:26 mark. That's when sophomore forward Anthony King received a pass and touched a ball over to Gumede. The team's scoring leader then drilled a shot off the goalkeeper and into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Tucker Stone, starting his first collegiate contest, played impressively en route to his first career shutout. Stone made three saves on the night, including a diving stop on an SIUE shot midway through the opening 45 minutes.
"I'm not surprised by how well Tucker played," Getman said. "I thought he did a great job and made some really nice saves."
Gumede recorded a career high six shots in the contest to lead the Blazers. As a team, UAB outshot SIU-Edwardsville,13-6 on the night, including a 6-3 shots on goal advantage.
The Blazers will next be in action on Wednesday, when they travel to take on South Carolina. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be followed live on Gametracker through the UABsports.com website.
