The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
FIU
Blazers Fall on Last-Minute Goal to Panthers
11/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Final Stats (PDF)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The UAB men’s soccer team lost to FIU in a tightly-contested bout on Wednesday night. The Panthers edged out the Blazers 2-1 with the game-winning goal coming with 1:11 remaining in the game. UAB finishes the season at 6-9-3 while FIU moves on to face Old Dominion with a 9-6-2 record.
“Second half, I thought we were outstanding and took it to them the whole time,” said UAB head coach Mike Getman. “We played the game the way we wanted to play and got a fantastic goal. Sometimes, it’s just a really cruel sport. One minute left on the clock against the run of play. But give them credit, they are a very good team.”
The Blazers had one of the best opportunities in the first half when DeAndre Robinson decided to drill a shot from about 30 yards out. The midfielder saw his shot clear the crossbar by only a foot in the 12th minute.
UAB goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky was tasked soon after that with an opportunity from FIU in the 18th minute but Kuzminsky was able to shut down the opportunity to keep the score at nil-nil.
The Panthers struck first in the 30th minute with a goal from Joris Ahlinvi. A low cross from Luis Betancur was quickly chipped by Ahlinvi just over Kuzminsky who had little time to react on the play.
Kuzminsky stood tall to end the first half though and keep the deficit at only one goal. The Panthers created an opportunity in the 43rd minute but the UAB netminder swallowed up the shot.
The Panthers pushed hard for a second goal to open the second half. They fired five shots in the first six minutes requiring Kuzminsky to make three saves. Kuzminsky had to make another difficult save in the 65th minute and he responded once again with a stop.
The Blazers began to take control of the possession after that and broke through in the 76th minute. Robinson dealt a long pass into the box where Henrique Sposito fended off a defender to control the ball. Sposito then chipped a shot over a charging goalkeeper and the defense draped all over him at the top of the penalty box.
“Team’s try to take away certain things when you play; they tried to step up and press so we talked about playing some balls in behind them,” said Getman. “Fantastic ball just over the defense, a great first touch by Sposito to bring it down, and calmly finished. A world-class goal.”
FIU intensified its offensive attack in the waning minutes. The Panthers pestering offense paid off as they were able to net the game-winning goal in the 89th minute. They totaled five shots in just over a minute before Ahlinvi struck once again with a well-hit ball tucked just under the crossbar to give FIU a 2-1 lead.
The Blazers earned a free kick just inside the halfway circle with 30 seconds left but their last gas effort sailed out of bounds to give the Panthers the win.
FIU outshot UAB 20-6 in the game and earned six corner kicks to the Blazers two.
Kuzmsinky finished with a huge game in net, stopping nine shots. The senior concluded the season with 80 saves, a career-high, and the most stops in a single season since Carl Woszczynski made 91 saves in 2011. Kuzminsky finishes his stellar career with 191 saves.
“Joe has had a great season,” stated Getman. “Every game he has played well. We ask him to make two or three saves each game to keep us in the game and he has done that from the first game to the last. I thought he had a fantastic performance tonight. That’s what we’ve come to expect from him.”
