The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Opens 2008 Schedule With Exhibition At Clemson
8/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 16, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's soccer team will kick off the 2008 campaign, when it travels to Clemson, S.C. to take on the Clemson Tigers on Sunday, Aug. 17, at Noon ET (11 a.m. CT). The match will mark the opening match for both the Blazers and Tigers.
The match had originally been scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start, but had to be moved up due to scheduling conflicts.
The outlook on this year's UAB men's soccer team is one of excitement. UAB returns 18 letterwinners and nine starters from the 2007 squad, which is the most returning players and starters UAB head coach Mike Getman has ever had coming back from a previous year. When combining that with returning 76 percent of the goal scoring and 79 percent of last season's total offensive output, it is no wonder why excitement is in the air about UAB men's soccer.
Last season, the Blazers finished 7-11-1, which was the first losing season since Getman's first year at the helm of the UAB men's soccer program in 1992. However, when discussing the upcoming season, the UAB head coach is excited about the potential for his team.
"I am excited," Getman said. "I hate to talk about last year, because it was a disappointing season. But at the same time, we were a very good team. We started the season off 5-2 and had just won at Indiana, which was their first home loss in two years. We felt like we really had it right because we had a great group of players, great chemistry and great potential. Injuries really turned the season upside down for us and that was disappointing and frustrating."
One thing that is for certain is Getman's squad will have to rely on that experience to help fill the void left by the two departing starters. Senior Joe Klosterman, who started all but three games during his entire four-year career, graduated and junior Dejan Jakovic turned professional. The duo played a huge role in the Blazers' success over the years and will be missed.
Despite that, Getman feels strongly about his team's ability to step in for the missing players.
"Losing both Joe and Dejan essentially means we lost the heart of our defense and one of our top offensive players in school history," Getman said. "Having said that, we return nine starters, plus we had so many young guys who got good experience last season. The end result is having over 20 players who now have played a full college season and gained experience and versatility. For all of those reasons, we certainly expect this is going to be a very good year for us."
Another bright note is the eight seniors Getman will have on this year's squad. Last season, Klosterman was the lone senior, which is the first time in Getman's tenure he has only had one senior on a team. This year, Getman sees the senior leadership as a definite strength and asset which he didn't have a year ago.
"Experience is a huge thing," Getman said. "Last year, we had one senior and this year we have eight. There is just a difference playing seniors versus others. Seniors have that little bit of extra motivation knowing this is their last go-round. Having eight seniors on this team is a very big plus."
