The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts No. 15 New Mexico Wednesday
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
No. 15 New Mexico (10-3-1, 3-2 C-USA) vs. UAB (8-5-1, 3-2 C-USA)
Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 7 p.m. CT | Birmingham, Ala. - West Campus Field
Live Coverage: Watch | Live Stats | Twitter
Match Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's soccer team returns home to host No. 15 New Mexico Wednesday night in a crucial Conference USA match. The Blazers and Lobos are set to kick at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field.
Both teams sit at 3-2 in league action with nine points entering Wednesday night's contest. UAB will close its home slate on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Old Dominion, before capping the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 8, at Florida Atlantic.
Live stats and video will be available at www.UABSports.com. For in-game updates, follow along on the UAB men's soccer Twitter page at the link above.
Looking Back
UAB dropped its most recent contest, a 1-0 decision to No. 7 Charlotte last Friday night in North Carolina. The 49ers scored a goal in the game's fifth minute, as the Charlotte keeper kept six Blazer shots on target from getting through.
Scouting The Opposition
NCAA perennial power New Mexico enters Wednesday's game with a 10-3-1 record and 3-2 clip in Conference USA action. The Lobos advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and fell to Notre Dame to cap their 11th NCAA tournament appearance since 2001.
New Mexico was voted as the unanimous preseason choice to win the C-USA regular season title, and enters the match Wednesday tied for third in the league standings. Chris Wehan leads the Lobos offensively with seven goals, while the defense has only given up eight goals all season with eight shutouts.
The Lobos rank 11th in the NCAA in shutout percentage and 10th in goals against average (0.56). They are also tied with UAB for the 27th ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 1.86 goals per contest.
Series Breakdown
The matchup Wednesday night between the Blazers and Lobos will be just the third in program history. The two teams first met back on Sept. 7, 2012, as the Lobos won 2-0 in Albuquerque. UAB traveled to New Mexico last season and lost in the closing seconds on a penalty kick. Wednesday's match will be the first in Birmingham between the two squads.
What's At Stake
UAB and New Mexico enter Wednesday night's matchup tied for third in the C-USA standings with nine points each. Kentucky leads the way 14 points, while Charlotte sits second with 13 points.
A win Wednesday would give head coach Mike Getman career win No. 298 and C-USA career win No. 96. As a program UAB needs just two more victories to reach 350 all-time.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MensSoccer). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
