The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Drake University
UAB Loses Heartbreaker To Drake In Final Minutes, 2-1
9/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 11, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Drake's Matt Kuhn scored a goal with 1:12 left in regulation to stun the UAB men's soccer team, 2-1, in the opening day of the 2009 UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic on Friday night. The loss drops the Blazers to 2-2 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 3-1.
The game was the second of the day of the annual event, which is designated to raise money for local families who have been affected by cancer. UMKC defeated Memphis, 3-1, in the first contest.
"I thought we played well against a very good team," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "It was a great college soccer game tonight. Both teams had chances to score, both teams defended well and that's the way college soccer is supposed to be played. It was disappointing to give up a goal at the end like we did, but when you play good teams, sometimes you're going to win and sometimes you're going to lose. It just wasn't our night tonight.
"With that being said, I thought we played very well and I was pleased with all aspects of our game," Getman continued. "If we can play like that every night, we are going to be an awfully good team."
The tournament's two games were played on a wet, sloppy and muddy field after rain soaked the Birmingham area for most of the day, right up until kickoff of the UMKC-Memphis game. Getman said the conditions altered the way UAB would normally play, but ultimately did not play a major role in the outcome.
"Especially the first half, the field was so muddy and slippery, it definitely changed the way we play typically," Getman said. "I thought our guys did a very good job of adjusting to the conditions, settling down and played some nice soccer. Both teams had the same conditions and both teams are skillful teams that had to adjust. It was a fun game to watch."
The Blazers opened the scoring at the 40:02 mark when junior Michal Mravec drilled a header past Drake goalkeeper Micahel Drozd and into the net for a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by John Markey, who's corner kick found the head of Mravec for his team-leading second assist of the year. The goal marked Mravec's first goal of the season and the fourth goal of his career.
However, just 54 seconds later, the Bulldogs equalized on a nifty goal by Luke Gorczyca. After a failed clearance by the Blazers' defense, Kuhn headed a ball to the goal mouth. Gorczyca turned and flipped a shot past UAB goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski and into the back of the net to even things at 1-1.
The score would remain the same until Kuhn's heroics in the 88th minute when he stole the ball from a UAB defender and buried a shot past Woszczynski into the lower left corner.
Drake outshot UAB, 15-10, on the night and also had a 9-6 edge in corner kicks. Both Woszczynski and Drozd finished the night with four saves.
The Blazers will be back in action on Sunday, Sept. 13, in the final game of the 2009 UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic when they take on the UMKC Kangaroos. The contest will follow the Drake/Memphis game which kicks off at noon.
Admission is free to all UAB students with a valid ID. Students and season ticket holders are encouraged to attend a pregame tailgate with free food and drinks beginning approximately 60 minutes prior to the start of the UAB matches.
Fans can also gain $1 admission to Sunday's contests by bringing at least two non-perishable food items to the contest.
