The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Announces 2010 Schedule
5/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
May 18, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A season opener against defending national champion Virginia and a nationally-televised contest against Conference USA rival Memphis are among the highlights to the 2010 UAB men's soccer schedule, announced Tuesday by head coach Mike Getman.
The Blazers' 2010 home schedule will also feature some of the top men's soccer programs in the country, including SMU, Tulsa, Charlotte and Kentucky.
"This schedule is almost perfect," Getman said. "Great games right from the start help us prepare for the tough Conference USA schedule to follow. I also love that our fans will get to see us compete against so many great teams."
For the first time in program history, the Blazers will take on a defending national champion when it opens the campaign in Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers in the 2010 Virginia Classic. In fact, UAB will open the year with a pair of ACC foes as it squares off against Virginia on Sept. 3, followed by a Sept. 5 meeting against Virginia Tech.
"Virginia is a great team and they present a unique challenge," Getman said. "At the same time, I know our team is looking forward to this game and the opportunity to face a reigning national championship team."
In all, the Blazers will face five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. In addition to facing a difficult schedule that includes the reigning national champs, the Blazers will also have an opportunity to play in front of a national television audience when they travel to Memphis, Tenn. to take on Conference USA rival Memphis Tigers in the regular-season finale for both teams on Nov. 5. The contest will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.
"It has been a few years since we played on national television," Getman said. "Our players and coaches are looking forward to showing the whole nation what UAB Soccer is all about."
The Virginia Classic will mark the first of three tournaments the Blazers will compete in to open the 2010 campaign. Following that event, UAB will return tp Birmingham for its first regular-season home contest at West Campus Field when it hosts the 13th annual UAB Soccer For A Cure Classic on Sept. 10-11. This year's event should be another exciting tournament, as Memphis and North Florida will open the tournament when they play on Friday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m., while UAB will host Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. On the tournament's final day, Memphis and Charlotte will meet on Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by the Classic's finale at 7:30 p.m. with UAB and North Florida squaring off.
The Blazers will then travel to compete in their final regular-season tournament, the Lipscomb Classic. UAB will open against host Lipscomb on Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m., before squaring off against Belmont at Noon on Sept. 19. UAB have non-conference contests against Alabama A&M (Sept. 26) and Mercer (Oct. 6) at home and will play at American on Oct. 26.
After UAB returns from Lipscomb, it will begin league play with a home contest against SMU on Sept. 24. The Blazers will host C-USA contests against Kentucky (Oct. 9), Tulsa (Oct. 23) and Marshall (Nov. 3) at West Campus Field.
In addition to its road match at Memphis to close the season, UAB will also play road league contests at South Carolina (Oct. 3), FIU (Oct. 16) and UCF (Oct. 29).
The 2010 Conference USA Tournament will be held on Nov. 12-14 at a site yet to be determined.
