The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sodade Named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week
11/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB senior forward Babayele Sodade was selected as the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week, league officials announced on Monday. It marks the second time Sodade has earned the accolade, while it is the eighth time this season a Blazer has been honored by the league office, which ties a school record, previously set in 2009.
In the Blazers' lone game last week, Sodade scored the game-winning goal at Tulsa on Friday. The tally came with just under two minutes remaining in regulation, at the 88:05 mark, to lift the Blazers to a 2-1 road victory over the Golden Hurricane. As time was winding down in regulation, the Windsor, Ontario native received a corner kick from sophomore Chase Wickham and headed the ball into the left side of the net to set off a wild celebration.
Thanks to Sodade's marker, UAB clinched a share of the 2011 Conference USA regular season title - the first since the 1999 campaign. Sodade's goal was his league-leading seventh game-winning goal of the season and it couldn't have come at a better time. Sodade finished the regular season leading his team in goals (12), assists (5), points (29) and shots (44).
UAB earned a first round bye and the No. 2 overall seed in the 2011 Conference USA Tournament, which will be played in Tulsa, Okla. on Nov. 9-13. With a first round bye, the Blazers will not play until Friday's semifinals at 7:30 p.m. CT, when they take on the winner of third-seeded UCF and No. 6 seed Memphis.
UAB enters the event as one of the hottest teams in the nation, riding an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1). As a result, the Blazers earned their first C-USA regular season championship since 1999, finishing the year with a 6-1-1 record in league play and a 12-3-3 overall mark. South Carolina, who also finished with a 6-1-1 record against conference competition, earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed as a result of its 1-0 win over UAB on Oct. 4 - the last loss for the Blazers.
