The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Western Illinois
Western Illinois Tops UAB, 1-0, To Capture Classic Title
9/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2008
Final Stats |
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Western Illinois converted a penalty kick just 4:25 into the game and withstood several UAB scoring opportunities to defeat the Blazers, 1-0, in the final game of the 2008 UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic. As a result, the Leathernecks won the Classic's championship, while UC-Irvine finished second, the Blazers third and Memphis in fourth.
"I am very disappointed in our play," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "We've got to score goals and we can't continue to make mistakes in the back and give away early goals. It has hurt us all season and it hurt us again today. We need to be smarter in the back and more aggressive in front. Western Illinois is a good team and if you make mistakes against a good team, it will beat you every time and that's what happened today."
Western Illinois' (6-0) penalty kick came early in the contest, when a Leatherneck player was taken down inside the penalty box by UAB senior Trey Gregory. WIU's Jona Andrade took the penalty kick and drilled the ball toward the left side of the goal. Even though UAB goalkeeper Wes Johnson was there, the ball managed to sneak by him into the side netting.
UAB's (2-3-1) luck seemed to have changed when WIU's Martin Browne was given a straight red card at the 37:01 mark of the first half. The Blazers poured the pressure on, outshooting the Leathernecks, 8-2, in the first half. However, they could not find the back of the net, as WIU's goalkeeper Stephen Paterson made three saves in the first 45 minutes.
The Blazers' best chance came midway through the second half, when senior forward Shane Elsner drilled a header towards the right side of the goal. However, Paterson was again there to make a diving save and preserve the shutout. Although UAB finished with a 12-4 shots advantage, the Blazers could only muster four shots on frame.
Elsner led the way for UAB with a career-high five shots in the contest. As a result, Elsner and senior midfielder Carlo Schiavoni were named to the All-Tournament team.
UAB will next be in action on Friday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Charlotte, N.C. to participate in the Charlotte Classic. The Blazers will open with Davidson at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by a match up against tournament host and former Conference USA rival Charlotte on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
UAB "Soccer For A Cure" Classic
Order Of Finish
1. Western Illinois (2-0)
2. UC Irvine (1-0-1)
3. UAB (0-1-1)
4. Memphis (0-2)
All-Tournament team
Steve Paterson (WIU)
Jona Andrade (WIU)
Luke Greenwell (WIU)
Jeff Schield (WIU)
Spencer Thompson (UCI)
Irving Garcia (UCI)
Kyle Schmid (UCI)
David Sias (UCI)
Shane Elsner (UAB)
Carlo Schiavoni (UAB)
Brian Ferrel (MEM)
Ryan Ruble (MEM)
