The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Louisville (Exh.)
Blazers Drop Exhibition Match to No. 18 Louisville in PKs
8/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An offensive battle in regulation resulted in a 4-2 penalty kick decision as No. 18 Louisville topped the UAB men's soccer team Tuesday night at Lynn Stadium in the first of two exhibition matches for the Blazers.
"I was very pleased with the overall performance on the road to the No. 18 team in the nation," head coach Mike Getman said. "Up 3-1 with 10 minutes left, up until that point I thought we played well and had our share of control of the match. It was a great beginning of preseason. I'm a little disappointed in giving up two goals in the last 10 minutes, but again on the road against a very team with lots of new guys on the field, things are going to happen sometimes. Overall I was very pleased with how we played and how we performed."
Both squads got on the board early after David Valverde made it 1-0 in the 13th minute, before Louisville's Tim Kubel tied it, 1-1.
Junior William White put UAB back on top three minutes later off a helper from newcomer Berry Sonnenschein, before the two teams went to the break in a 2-1 contest.
The Blazers came right back early in the second period, as Lawson Crider found the net on an assist from Freddy Ruiz. From there, the Cardinals scored two goals within the last 11 minutes of the match to send the exhibition to penalty kicks.
As a unit the Blazers posted nine shots in regulation while Louisville totaled 19. In all, 23 players saw the field for the Green and Gold as UAB continues its preseason preparation for the 2015 regular season.
UAB returns to action Saturday with the final exhibition vs. No. 11 Clemson set for a 7 p.m. kick at West Campus Field. The Blazers will also host their annual soccer clinic at 4:30 p.m., and more information on that free event can be found here.
"We go from a 3-3 tie with the No. 18 team in the nation, and now we host No. 11 (Clemson), a team a lot of people think have a chance to win a national championship," Getman said. "It's another great test for our team on the field, but also with the clinic ahead of time it should be a really fun day for soccer in Birmingham. The last several years we've had huge crowds both at the clinic and the game itself, and we're certainly looking forward to a very fun day."
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 social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
