The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Saturday, September 25
BBVA Field
7:00 PM
UAB
vs
#23 FIU
Photo by: Michael Wade
UAB Men’s Soccer Hosts No. 23 FIU to Open C-USA Play
9/24/2021 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM – Fresh off a 5-1 victory at Gardner-Webb, the UAB men's soccer team will open Conference USA play against No. 23 FIU on Saturday. Kickoff for Saturday's match at BBVA Field is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Saturday's contest will mark UAB's first matchup against a ranked opponent this season. Conference USA currently has three teams in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 – Marshall (No. 5), Kentucky (No. 10) and FIU (No. 23).
UAB's first C-USA contest of the 2021 season will stream live on CUSA.tv. Fans will also be able to follow this weekend's matchup via live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
UAB (2-4) found the back of the net on five of its seven shots on target in Saturday's 5-1 win at Gardner-Webb. Four different goal scorers earned their way onto the scoresheet – Nicolai Placzek (two), Nathaniel St. Louis (one), Brooks Rice (one) and Willsey League (one).
Placzek, a freshman defender from Freiberg, Germany, scored the first two goals of his UAB career in the four-goal victory. Placzek's brace not only helped the Blazers build a 3-0 lead just over three minutes into the second half, but it also earned him the Green and Gold's first Conference USA weekly honor since in 2018. Placzek earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week award after tallying two goals and helping the Blazers allow just one goal in Saturday's win.
After taking a 2-0 lead into halftime, the Blazers buried the Runnin' Bulldogs with three goals within the first 22 minutes of the second stanza to build a 5-0 lead in the 67th minute. Teodor Thorvaldsen recorded a career-high three assists in the rout of GWU, while St. Louis bagged his team-best fourth goal of the year.
UAB's five goals on Saturday marked its highest goal output since a 7-2 win over Marshall in 2014.
St. Louis leads the Blazers in goals (four), points (nine) and shots on goal (nine). Goalkeeper Trevor Jackson paces the Green and Gold with 13 saves and a .722 save percentage.
THE SERIES VS. FIU
FIU holds a 11-7-1 advantage in the series against the Blazers, winning six straight matchups dating back to 2016. UAB's last victory in the series came in a high-scoring 4-3 victory over the Panthers in Birmingham.
Four of the Blazers' past six losses to the Panthers have come by just a single goal, dropping four of their matches to FIU 2-1.
SCOUTING FIU
After dropping their first match of the season to No. 17 Bowling Green on Sept. 17, the Panthers (5-1-1) responded in dominant fashion by pushing across six goals in a 6-0 win over Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday.
FIU netted five of its goals in the first half as the Panthers outshot Jacksonville 15-1 in the first stanza. The Panthers have two wins over ranked opponents this season, shutting out then-No. 13 UCF 4-0 to open the season before knocking off then-No. 12 VCU 1-0.
Three Panthers – David Garcia, Stephen Afrifa and Bernardo Dos Santos – are tied for the team lead in goals scored with three apiece. Goalkeeper Tyler Hogan kept a clean sheet in his first start of the season in Tuesday's 6-0 win over Jacksonville.
COMMON OPPONENTS
UAB and FIU share nine common opponents during the 2021 season – seven in Conference USA and two in nonconference action. UAB and FIU's shared nonconference opponents are UTRGV and Florida Gulf Coast.
The Blazers fell in double overtime to UTRGV 3-2 earlier in September, while the Panthers doubled up the Vaqueros 4-2 on Sept. 12. FIU also knocked off Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 in overtime. UAB will face Florida Gulf Coast for its final nonconference matchup on Oct. 6.
LIVE STREAM
UAB's match against the Panthers will stream live on CUSA.tv. CUSA.tv is a subscription-based service.
LIVE STATS
Fans can follow this weekend's match via Sidearm Stats.
Men's Soccer season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2021-22 Gold Card for $65 here. The 2021-22 Gold Card will get you access to all home events for Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Softball, and Baseball (Regions Field & Young Memorial). This card is not valid for Conference USA or NCAA Championship events.
Individual match tickets can be purchased here.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team, follow @UAB_MSoc on Twitter and Instagram.
Saturday's contest will mark UAB's first matchup against a ranked opponent this season. Conference USA currently has three teams in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 – Marshall (No. 5), Kentucky (No. 10) and FIU (No. 23).
UAB's first C-USA contest of the 2021 season will stream live on CUSA.tv. Fans will also be able to follow this weekend's matchup via live stats.
LAST TIME OUT
UAB (2-4) found the back of the net on five of its seven shots on target in Saturday's 5-1 win at Gardner-Webb. Four different goal scorers earned their way onto the scoresheet – Nicolai Placzek (two), Nathaniel St. Louis (one), Brooks Rice (one) and Willsey League (one).
Placzek, a freshman defender from Freiberg, Germany, scored the first two goals of his UAB career in the four-goal victory. Placzek's brace not only helped the Blazers build a 3-0 lead just over three minutes into the second half, but it also earned him the Green and Gold's first Conference USA weekly honor since in 2018. Placzek earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week award after tallying two goals and helping the Blazers allow just one goal in Saturday's win.
After taking a 2-0 lead into halftime, the Blazers buried the Runnin' Bulldogs with three goals within the first 22 minutes of the second stanza to build a 5-0 lead in the 67th minute. Teodor Thorvaldsen recorded a career-high three assists in the rout of GWU, while St. Louis bagged his team-best fourth goal of the year.
UAB's five goals on Saturday marked its highest goal output since a 7-2 win over Marshall in 2014.
St. Louis leads the Blazers in goals (four), points (nine) and shots on goal (nine). Goalkeeper Trevor Jackson paces the Green and Gold with 13 saves and a .722 save percentage.
THE SERIES VS. FIU
FIU holds a 11-7-1 advantage in the series against the Blazers, winning six straight matchups dating back to 2016. UAB's last victory in the series came in a high-scoring 4-3 victory over the Panthers in Birmingham.
Four of the Blazers' past six losses to the Panthers have come by just a single goal, dropping four of their matches to FIU 2-1.
SCOUTING FIU
After dropping their first match of the season to No. 17 Bowling Green on Sept. 17, the Panthers (5-1-1) responded in dominant fashion by pushing across six goals in a 6-0 win over Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday.
FIU netted five of its goals in the first half as the Panthers outshot Jacksonville 15-1 in the first stanza. The Panthers have two wins over ranked opponents this season, shutting out then-No. 13 UCF 4-0 to open the season before knocking off then-No. 12 VCU 1-0.
Three Panthers – David Garcia, Stephen Afrifa and Bernardo Dos Santos – are tied for the team lead in goals scored with three apiece. Goalkeeper Tyler Hogan kept a clean sheet in his first start of the season in Tuesday's 6-0 win over Jacksonville.
COMMON OPPONENTS
UAB and FIU share nine common opponents during the 2021 season – seven in Conference USA and two in nonconference action. UAB and FIU's shared nonconference opponents are UTRGV and Florida Gulf Coast.
The Blazers fell in double overtime to UTRGV 3-2 earlier in September, while the Panthers doubled up the Vaqueros 4-2 on Sept. 12. FIU also knocked off Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 in overtime. UAB will face Florida Gulf Coast for its final nonconference matchup on Oct. 6.
LIVE STREAM
UAB's match against the Panthers will stream live on CUSA.tv. CUSA.tv is a subscription-based service.
LIVE STATS
Fans can follow this weekend's match via Sidearm Stats.
Individual match tickets can be purchased here.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team, follow @UAB_MSoc on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
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