The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN
No. 25 UAB Shuts Out Rival Birmingham-Southern, 4-0
10/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Leandro de Oliveira and Shane Elsner each had a goal and an assist as No. 25 UAB blasted cross-town rival Birmingham-Southern, 4-0, Saturday night before 593 soaked fans at West Campus Field. The victory moved UAB to 9-4-0 overall and extended the Blazers' home win streak to seven.
Jason McLaughlin and Jeremy McLane also scored and A.J. Robles notched seven saves in a shutout of the NCAA's top-scoring team. Birmingham-Southern, which led the nation with a goals per game average of 3.00 coming into the contest, had several chances against the stingy UAB defense, but tallied only seven shots on goal in 24 attempts. BSC (8-5-0) out-shot the Blazers, 24-19 on the night.
"I thought we played very well tonight, certainly on the attacking end, we created a lot of chances and I thought we finished them well," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "Any time you can play a team that is that good and beat them, you're happy. To beat them 4-nil is just a bonus. We're just pleased to win."
The Blazers' first tally came in the 12th minute when de Oliveira drove a 20-yard free kick past BSC keeper Joseph Anthony. After another de Oliveira chance a minute later, Birmingham-Southern countered as Jamie Holmes, the nation's leading goal scorer, countered with a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that drifted wide left. Shane Elsner's midfield takeaway and nifty backwards flick to Jason McLaughlin in the 15th minute provided UAB with its second tally of the night. The Blazers led, 2-0, at the intermission after out-shooting BSC in the first, 11-9.
The festive Magic City crowd stuck around for the second half, despite a steady rain which began shortly before the second period started. UAB made the score 3-0 in the 56th minute when Elsner found the net from 16-yards out from a de Oliveira feed. McLane scored on a two-on-one breakaway with Ryan Hathcock in the 89th for the final margin.
The Blazers sported a goals against average of just 1.07 per contest coming in and matched up against the Panthers, who feature the first and second goal scorers in the nation in Holmes and Karim Dietz. After the match, the UAB goals against average was 0.99.
"We've played a lot of good games this season and our team is starting to understand how to defend together," Getman said. "I thought Birmingham-Southern had a few very good chances. Their forwards are quick and they are dangerous. But as a group, we defended well and got the shutout."
The win also gained a measure of revenge for Getman and the Blazers, who were upset, 2-1, at BSC last season.
UAB returns to Conference USA play with a monumental match on the docket. The Blazers and Memphis Tigers tangle at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at Memphis' Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Both teams have identical 5-1-0 league marks and are tied for first in the C-USA standings. The winner takes over the driver's seat for the league regular season title and top seed in next month's C-USA tournament.
"Memphis is a completely different type of team, so it will be a different type of game," Getman forecasted. "With so much on the line, however, it will certainly be the biggest game of the year so far for us."
Birmingham-Southern, which also sits atop its league standings, returns to Big South Conference action at VMI on Friday afternoon.
