The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
No. 25 Blazers Set For C-USA Opener
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2014
No. 25 UAB (5-2-1) at FIU (3-3-1)
Saturday, Sept. 27 | 6 p.m. CT | Miami, Fla. - FIU Soccer Stadium
Live Coverage: Live Stats | Twitter
Match Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The No. 25 UAB men's soccer team opens up its 2014 Conference USA slate on Saturday with a road match at FIU.
The Blazers and Panthers are set for a 6 p.m. CT kick from the FIU Soccer Stadium. UAB won its second-straight match Tuesday, 3-1, over Missouri State at West Campus Field.
The matchup Tuesday night featured the top scoring defense and top scoring offense from a season ago. Missouri State entered the game with just three goals allowed through six matches, but UAB matched that total in Tuesday's game against the 12th ranked defense in the NCAA.
Live stats will be available for Saturday's contest at the link above. For in-game updates, follow along on the UAB men's soccer Twitter page at the link above.
Scouting The Opposition
FIU enters Saturday's matchup having won two-straight over No. 25 San Diego State and Florida Gulf Coast. The Panthers won both of those games, 2-1, and also beat Michigan to start the year. FIU dropped matches to No. 10 Michigan State, Stetson and East Tennessee State.
Quentin Albrecht leads the team offensively with three goals thus far. He also holds the team lead in shots with 28. Daniel Gonzalez is the Panthers' leader in assists with three helpers this season. David Mitchell and Robin Spiegel have split time in goal for FIU. Mitchell is 2-1-1 with one shutout and 21 saves while Spiegel is 1-2-0 with four goals allowed in three games.
Series Breakdown
Saturday's game in Miami marks the 12th in the series all-time between the programs. The Blazers have won four of the last five dating back to the 2009 season and have outscored the Panthers, 12-2 in the last five meetings.
The Green and Gold have won nine C-USA openers dating back to its first season in 1995. UAB is 9-7-3 in league openers and is looking for its first C-USA opening win since the 2008 season this Saturday.
Spreading The Wealth
Eight different Blazers have scored goals for UAB this season led by Freddy Ruiz' five. Alex Clay has three and Ian Svantesson has two through eight games, while Rami Dajani, Karl Chester, Lars Willemse, Aaron Getman-Pickering and Pachinno Roberts have one each.
Eleven different Blazers also have assists thus far, led by Clay's four and two each from Ruiz, David Valverde and Stewart Abrahart. Dajani, Chester, Willemse, Diego Navarrete, Mathieu Laurent, James Nanje Ngoe and DeAndre Robinson all have one helper for the Blazers, who have 15 goals (32nd in NCAA) and 17 assists (11th in NCAA) through eight games.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team, follow the Blazers on Twitter @UAB_MensSoccer. For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics @UABAthletics.
