The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Men's Soccer Wrap Up
12/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 2, 2002
The UAB men's soccer team closed out another successful campaign, finishing with an overall record of 9-7-3 on the season. It marked the 10th consecutive year the men's soccer team have finished above .500 in head coach Mike Getman's 11 years at the helm. Getman now owns an impressive 135-74-12 (.638) over the 11-year stretch at UAB and an overall record of 177-100-21 (.629) and stands only 13 wins shy of 200 career victories. Below are some of the highlights of the 2002 campaign:
Four Players Named All-Conference USA
UAB was rewarded with four players named to all-conference teams, including three to the first team. Sophomore goalkeeper Clint Baumstark, who was the 2001 C-USA freshman of the year, was named to the first team. He ranks third in the conference in shutouts (4), goals allowed average (1.02) and ranks in the top-10 in all other goalkeeper statistics. Joining Baumstark was senior forward Flavio Monteiro and junior midfielder Marin Pusek. Monteiro led the team in goals (7), points (17) and shots (33). He ranked in the C-USA top-10 in points, points per game, goals and goals per game. Pusek lead UAB with seven assists on the campaign, and ranked fifth in C-USA in assists as well as assists per game. Junior defender Tony McManus was also named third-team all-conference. After coming off an injury which redshirted him in 2001, McManus didn't miss a beat in 2002, stepping in this season as the Blazers' central defender. He was one of the leaders on the squad throughout the year, and is one of only two players to start and play every contest.
Seven Straight C-USA Tourney Appearances
UAB made the Conference USA tournament for the seventh consecutive season. UAB and Saint Louis are the only two teams to have made the conference tournament every season since the league was created in 1995. UAB won the 1999 C-USA tournament in Birmingham, Ala., defeating South Florida (4-0) and Saint Louis (4-0).
Baumstark Named To Under-20 National Team
UAB sophomore goalkeeper Clint Baumstark was named to the Under 20 U.S. Soccer National Team pool. He becomes the second UAB player to be named to national team while currently wearing the UAB jersey. Current UAB teammate Kareem Morgan was named to the U-20 Canadian National Team pool in 2000. "This is certainly a great honor for Clint and I am very proud of him," Getman said. "Nobody works harder than Clint and it is nice to see all that hard work pay off by earning a spot on the national team." Baumstark will be training under the U.S. U-20 national team coach Thomas Rongen. He joins a squad consisting of eight professionals and 10 collegiate players. He will then train with the National Team in the spring as they prepare for the upcoming Youth World Cup.
Blazers Close Season In Heartbreaking Loss
The University of Alabama at Birmingham men's soccer team ended its season at the Conference USA tournament, the way that sums the 2002 season up best. The Blazers dominated the contest, outshooting the Cardinals by a count of 11-8, including 7-3 in the second half alone, and dominating the tempo of the game. However, it was Louisville who struck first with a goal in the 75th minute to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. UAB kept the pressure on the Cardinals and had several good scoring opportunities that just missed. In the 90th minute, UAB's perseverance seemed to have payed off when the Blazers were awarded a penalty kick at the 89:45 mark after a Louisville defender stopped a shot with his hand in the box. UAB's second all-time leading scorer, Flavio Monteiro, took the kick - he had never missed a penalty kick coming into the contest - however, U of L goalkeeper Brad Sokolowski proceeded to make a diving save to give the Cardinals a 1-0 victory. UAB closed the regular season with back-to-back, double-overtime losses to Marquette and South Florida, respectively, and a 2-1 defeat to Cincinnati in a game that saw the game-winning goal scored with just over two minutes remaining.
Overtimes Not Much Fun For Blazers
UAB struggled in overtime contests this season. The Blazers had an overtime record of 0-3-3 on the season, failing to win a game in extra time. The loss to Cincinnati in the waning minutes marked the third loss in the last four games which the Blazers lost in the final minutes of play. On October 27, the Blazers were in first place in the C-USA standings and travelled to Marquette. With the score tied 1-1 and the Blazers down a man due to a red card ejection, the Golden Eagles scored with nine minutes remaining in the second overtime to take a 2-1 victory. Against South Florida on November 1, the two teams fought to a scoreless tie; however, with just over one minute remaining in the second overtime, South Florida's Hunter West scored on a diving header to give the Bulls a 1-0 victory. UAB also lost to Rhode Island, 3-2 in double overtime. They tied UC Irvine, Louisville and East Carolina this season.
Blazers Putting Names In Record Books
This year's Blazers put their names in the record books. All-Conference USA selection Flavio Monteiro has moved into second all-time in goals and points and is ranked eighth in assists with 16. For his four-year career, Monteiro has 30 goals, 16 assists and 77 points despite only playing in 44 games. Sophomore goalkeeper Clint Baumstark is doing his work between the pipes. The Thornton, Colo. native has a 1.07 goals against average which ranks second all-time in school history. He also owns the top mark in school history with a 0.96 GAA last season. Midfielder Marin Pusek had seven assists on the campaign.
Blazers Win BSC Fall Classic
UAB claimed the Jim 'N Nick's/PUMA BSC Fall Classic over the weekend of Sept. 13-15. The Blazers defeated previously unbeaten Western Kentucky, 3-2, in the opening round on the strength of goals by Flavio Monteiro, Chris O'Neal and Nnamdi Ngwe. That victory was followed by a 1-0 defeat over Navy, a team ranked seventh in the South Atlantic region. Ngwe scored the game-winning goal in the 60th minute to lift the Blazers to victory.
Two Named To Nike Classic All-Tournament Team
Flavio Monteiro and Mikey Spitzer were named to the 2002 Nike Classic All-Tournament team for their performances. Monteiro led the Blazers by scoring two goals against Rhode Island and accounted for five shots throughout the tournament. Spitzer's tough play and tenacious defense led to several scoring opportunities for UAB.
Ngwe, Baumstark Earn C-USA Player Of The Week
For just the second time in school history, two UAB players swept Conference USA Player of the Week honors. Nnamdi Ngwe and Clint Baumstark were named the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for the week of Sept. 16. Ngwe helped the Blazers to the Jim 'N Nick's/Puma BSC Fall Classic title with a pair of game-winning goals, his first goals of the season, last weekend. On Friday, the Missouri City, Texas native connected on a shot from 15 yards out to give UAB a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten Western Kentucky. In the championship game, UAB won 1-0 on the strength of Ngwe's goal in the 60th minute. Nwge also had five shots on the day, including four on goal, and scored the game's only goal in the 60th minute. Baumstark anchored the UAB defense that helped lead the Blazers to the tournament title. During the two weekend contests, he allowed two goals and made five saves. The only goals against Baumstark came in a 3-2 win over Western Kentucky, with one of them coming off a deflection. In Sunday's match against Navy, he made four stops to secure a 1-0 shutout for his second of the season, moving him into third place in the school record books with 11 career shutouts.
