The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Welcomes Auburn Montgomery
8/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's soccer team continues its exhibition slate on Tuesday night when Auburn Montgomery comes to town for a 7 p.m. contest at BBVA Compass Field.
The Blazers are coming off a 2-1 loss at the hands of No. 3 Clemson on Saturday night. The Tigers were unable to score until the 78th minute. Freshman Massimo Ferrin tied the game at 1-1 in the 95th minute but Clemson answered with just under two minutes remaining in the second overtime period to win the game.
"There are still some things we really have to work on," said UAB head coach Mike Getman. "That's to be expected with just a few days of practice. But I thought we showed we could compete with one of the best teams in the country. We showed we can challenge even the best."
HOW TO FOLLOW
LIVE STATS •
LIVE VIDEO • Blazer Vision
TWITTER • @UAB_MSoc
INSTAGRAM • @UAB_MSoc
SNAPCHAT • UABathletics
| UAB Blazers | Team | Auburn Montgomery |
| 5-11-0 | 2015 Overall Record | 9-8-3 |
| 2-6-0 (C-USA) | Conference Record | 2-5-1 (SSAC) |
| 1.50 | Goals Per Game | 2.85 |
| 2.12 | Goals Against Average | 2.20 |
| Rami Dajani (3) | Top Returning Scorer | Alan Harwell (11) |
GET FIT NIGHT
UAB will be hosting `Get Fit Night' before Tuesday night's contest. There will be yoga and stretching on the field adjacent to BBVA Compass Field starting at 6 p.m. There will also be a chance to demonstrate your athletic abilities during halftime.
FERRIN FINDS THE NET
The Blazers lone goal in their exhibition opener came from freshman forward Massimo Ferrin. The Ontario, Canada, native scored in the 95th minute to knot the score at 1-1.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Getman fields a young team this season after a deep and talented signing class. UAB played 11 freshmen in the overtime periods of the exhibition opener against Clemson. Seventeen of the 29 players on the Blazers roster are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
STRONG DEFENSE
UAB looked convincing on defense against Clemson. The Tigers, last year's national runner-up, scored just twice after having 13 games a season ago in which they score 3-or-more goals and didn't find the back of the net the second time until the 108th minute.
SCOUTING AUBURN MONTGOMERY
The Warhawks are in their first season of transitioning to the Division II level. Last season in the NAIA, they sprinted out to a 5-0 start and scored 23 goals over that span. AUM struggled the rest of the way though as they finished 9-8-3 overall and 2-5-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), placing second to last in the conference.
Three of AUM's top four scorers from last season have departed. Defender Alexander Neubarth, who led the SSAC with 12 assists last season, and forward Sebastian Wladyko, who led the team with 32 points, tied the team-high with 11 goals, and paced the conference with 63 shots, are each gone.
"They will be a unique challenge," stated Getman. "They are a little bit older team as NAIA teams tend to be very international and a little older. We'll be playing a lot of 17 and 18-year olds whereas they may have 24 and 25-year olds. They've been a very good team for a long time and I think it will be another good challenge and good learning opportunity for us."
