The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Old Dominion In Home Finale
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Old Dominion (7-6-1, 2-3-1 C-USA) vs. UAB (9-5-1, 4-2 C-USA)
Saturday, Nov. 1 | 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 welcomes Old Dominion to West Campus Field on Saturday as the Blazers close the 2014 home slate with a 7 p.m. kick against the Monarchs.
The Blazers enter the matchup in third place in the Conference USA standings at 4-2-0 with 12 points, while Old Dominion is tied for sixth at 2-3-1 with seven points. The game Saturday will close UAB's slate of eight home matches, as UAB is 5-1-1 at West Campus Field.
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 scored three goals in a match for the sixth time this season on Wednesday as the Blazers defeated No. 15 New Mexico, 3-2, at West Campus Field. Alex Clay recorded his best performance of the season with two goals, while Freddy Ruiz added to his C-USA leading goal total with one of his own. The Blazers officially clinched a berth in the upcoming C-USA Championship, set for Nov. 12-16 in Norfolk, Va.
Scouting The Opposition
UAB's tough schedule to end the regular season continues on Saturday with the home finale against Old Dominion. The Monarchs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 10 of the last 12 years and are 7-6-1 this season with a 2-3-1 clip in Conference USA play.
ODU has dropped two straight, including a 4-0 loss to No. 18 New Mexico and 1-0 loss to South Carolina. The Monarchs' arguably biggest win of the season came on Oct. 18 when they defeated No. 4 Charlotte, 2-1 at home. Nine different players have tallied goals for ODU this season, led by three each from Ryan Condotta and Jesse Miralrio. They have scored 14 as a team and given up 15 through 14 contests.
Series Breakdown
The UAB-Old Dominion series dates all the way back to the 1985 season, although the teams just met last season for the first time since 1991. The Blazers have never defeated the Monarchs and the two teams have met just once in Birmingham. The Monarchs topped UAB, 3-2, in overtime last season in Norfolk.
What's At Stake
UAB will honor its five seniors - Ian Michalak, Diego Navarrete, Alex Clay, Pachinno Roberts and Darion Copeland - in Saturday night's home finale.
A win Saturday would give head coach Mike Getman career win No. 299 and C-USA career win No. 97. A win would also give UAB 350 all-time as a program.
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).
