The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Rhode Island
UAB Tops Rhode Island 2-1
9/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Final Stats (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB men’s soccer team edged out Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon for a 2-1 victory at BBVA Compass Field. The Blazers move to 2-2-2 this season while the Rams drop to 3-2-1.
This was the final game of the UAB “Soccer For A Cure” Classic. Tulsa tied Stetson earlier in the day with a 2-2 result and thus won the Classic after defeating UAB 1-0 two days ago.
“I thought every game we’ve played well and created chances and today the ball went in the net, so we won the match,” said UAB head coach Mike Getman. “The performance was really good but I have felt that way every game. The difference was just a couple touches here and there where the ball went in. It’s nice the guys get rewarded for all the hard work they are putting in. Good performance, good result.”
The Blazers got on the board quickly with a goal from forward Tarnue Tyler in the 5th minute. It was the youngster’s first career goal as he stole the ball from a defender, raced down the field by himself and drilled it into the lower left side of the net to give UAB a 1-0 lead.
Rhode Island evened the game up in the 27th minute. A cross played into the box was struck by Joey Cain before it could fall to the ground and hit into the right corner to tie the game at 1-1.
UAB nearly scored right before the buzzer. A foul by the Rams with two seconds on the clock led to a free kick attempt for forward Adam Brooker. Brooker delivered a well-placed strike that required a diving save from Rams goalkeeper Nils Leifhelm to keep the score even at 1-1 going into the break.
The Blazers scored early in the second half to retake the lead. In the 54th minute, forward Philip Makinde found space and hammered a shot off the left post. The rebound fell in front of the net and a charging Henrique Sposito finished the play to push UAB ahead 2-1.
Rhoddy would not go away quietly. In the 62nd minute, two blistering strikes off the feet of Rams players hit the posts. Goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky then had to come up with big saves in the 71st and 79th minutes to preserve the 2-1 lead.
The Rams had a final chance in the last minute with a free kick from roughly 30 yards away that they brought the goalkeeper up for with less than 30 seconds left. They were unable to get a shot on goal from the situation though and turned the ball over to the Blazers.
Rhode Island held a slight edge in shots at 15-13 and had 12 corner kicks compared to two for the Blazers.
“Rhode Island is a really good team,” stated Getman. “Beating them is a really good result. It was a bit scrappy. Our guys fought hard but I thought we won the physical battle, the battle of endurance, and the battle of depth. Those three things made a difference today. This team has fought and battled, every player, every game.”
The win for Getman was the 307th of his career, breaking a tie with former Philadelphia University and UNLV coach Barry Barto for 38th all-time in Division I history. Getman is one victory behind Jeff Gettler for 37th all-time.
Kuzminsky finished the game with six saves to improve to 36 stops on the year. For his career, the Denver, Colo., native now has 163 career saves, moving past Fred LaRoche for seventh in school history. Kuzminsky has had six-or-more saves in four straight contests.
The Blazers had four players make the All-Tournament team. Defender Mathieu Laurent, defender William White, forward Massimo Ferrin, and Kuzminsky were each honored. The entire team is listed below.
UAB now begins Conference USA play when they face-off against Marshall next Saturday, September 17 beginning at 7 p.m. at home.
“I think the confidence has been good even before today, but winning and scoring goals helps,” Getman said. “The best part now is we get a full week of rest to recover and continue to work on things.”
All-Tournament Team
GK Joe Kuzminsky (UAB)
GK Paul Ladwig (Stetson)
D Quinton Duncan (Tulsa)
D Mathieu Laurent (UAB)
D Casper Venstad (Tulsa)
D William White (UAB)
D/M Sebastian Contreras (Stetson)
M Jacob Gooden (Tulsa)
M Ray Saari (Tulsa)
F Gabriel Diniz (Stetson)
F Massimo Ferrin (UAB)
Tournament MVP: D Quinton Duncan (Tulsa)
