The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Set To Battle No. 10 SMU On Wednesday Night
10/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2007
Birmingham, Ala. ----- The UAB men's soccer team will be looking for its first Conference USA victory of the season when the Blazers travel to Dallas, Texas to square off against the No. 10 SMU Mustangs on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on tape delay on CSTV, and will air on Friday, Oct. 19, at 10:30 p.m. CT.
UAB enters Wednesday's contest with a 5-6-1 overall record and an 0-3 mark in league play. The last time the Blazers opened the conference season without a victory through three league contests came back during the 1992 campaign, coach Getman's first season at the helm, when they finished 0-5.
Prior to its winless skid over the last five contests (0-4-1), UAB put together a five-game winning streak beginning Sept 7, and capped off by a victory at then-No. 10 Indiana on Sept. 21.
The Blazers are led by MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Dejan Jakovic. The Etibicoke, Ontario native is living up to his billing as one of the top players in the country, leading his team in goals (6) and points (13) on the season. Meanwhile, junior Frank Brown is also making his presence felt, as the Preston, England native is second on the team with four goals and 10 points. The Blazers are 4-0 when Jakovic finds the back of the net this season, and 2-0 when the two leading scorers account for a goal in the same game.
Defensively, goalkeeper Wes Johnson, a two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, leads the Blazers. Johnson has recorded three shutouts and an impressive 1.00 goals allowed average this season.
Tenth-ranked SMU enters Wednesday night's contest boasting a 6-2-2 overall record and a 1-0-1 record in Conference USA play. Following back-to-back losses to then-No. 9 Santa Clara (2-1) and then-No. 24 Washington (2-0), the Mustangs have reeled off a 4-0-1 record in the five games since.
SMU is led by preseason Conference USA Player of the Year in junior Bruno Guarda The Piracicaba, Brazil native leads the Mustangs in assists (6), points (14) and shots (29), while ranking second on the team with four goals. Guarda was named to the Preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, along with UAB junior Dejan Jakovic.
Guarda is not the only weapon in the SMU arsenal, as junior Richard Oliva leads the team with five goals on the campaign, while sophomore Dane Saintus has three goals and four assists. The duo is tied for second on the team with 10 points each. Defensively, senior Steve Sandbo and sophomore Craig Hill have combined for two shutouts and a 1.11 goals allowed average this season.
Last season, UAB and SMU played two memorable games as the Blazers served the Mustangs their only loss of the 2006 regular season. The two teams also battled to a 1-1 tie in the C-USA Tournament before the Mustangs advanced to the conference championship on penalty kicks. On Oct. 25, 2006, then-No. 1 SMU came to West Campus Field with an unbeaten record of 13-0-3, but the Blazers scored two goals, including the game winner from current junior Trey Gregory, en route to a stunning 2-1 victory in front of a West Campus Field record crowd of 2,755 fans. UAB finished 1-0-1 against SMU last season, and now holds a 2-1-1 advantage in the all-time series entering Wednesday night's contest.
The game can be followed live on gametracker, and will re-air on Oct. 19, at 10:30 p.m. CT.
