The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Dominate Second Half, Defeat Howard 3-1
9/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Final Stats (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB men’s soccer team used a dominating performance in the second half to top Howard 3-1 on Tuesday night. The Blazers improve to 4-2-3 as they conclude a five-game home stretch. The Bison drop to 1-8-2 on the season.
“I thought over the course of time we wore them down and created chances,” said UAB head coach Mike Getman. “It was a good performance from us. It was nice to get three goals but even better to get the win.”
The Blazers controlled the pace of play through the first half but were unable to net a goal. They came out firing in the second half and netted two goals in the first 10 minutes of the frame.
Philip Makinde scored the first goal in the 53rd minute. The redshirt freshman buried a one-timer on a pass from Ryan Sullivan. It was Makinde’s first career goal and Sullivan’s first points in a Blazer uniform.
Massimo Ferrin then struck for the third time this season. The freshman striker lined up a penalty kick and buried the opportunity in the 55th minute to extend the UAB lead to 2-0.
The Blazers would find the back of the net one last time in the 71st minute on arguably the most spectacular effort of the match. DeAndre Robinson worked the ball from left to right just outside the box and delivered a perfect strike while falling to the ground. The shot tucked into the left side of the net past the goalkeeper for Robinson’s third career goal and first of the 2016 campaign.
Howard found the back of the net late in the contest. A handball in the box led to a penalty kick for the visitor. Bison goalkeeper Kenneth Hersey came up to take the PK and scored, the first goal conceded by UAB in over 300 minutes. That goal left the contest at the final score of 3-1.
The Blazers tallied season-highs with 18 shots and nine on target. The eight corner kicks generated was also the top mark by UAB this season.
UAB is now undefeated over its last four games (3-0-1) and is outscoring opposing teams 8-2.
The Blazers now hit the road for their first Conference USA road game of the season. They are set to face Florida Atlantic on Saturday, October 1 at 6 p.m. (CT).
“We’re back to conference play so it counts double,” stated Getman. “We need a little bit of rest to get ready and some training, but we know Florida Atlantic. We certainly know what to expect from them and I think the guys will be ready.”
