Oct. 2, 2007

Eastern Illinois Notes

Birmingham, Ala. ----- The UAB men's soccer team will look to snap a two-game losing streak when it steps out of conference play to take on the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field in a battle of regionally ranked teams. Eastern Illinois enters Wednesday night's contest boasting a 7-2-1 overall record, and are ranked eighth in the Midwest Region, while the Blazers are just ahead of EIU in the Midwest Region, checking in at No. 7 this week.

Leading the way for EIU is junior forward Brad Peters, who has compiled a team-best four goals and 11 points on the campaign (4g, 3a). Peters is one of five different Panthers to have found the back of the net this season. Freshman forward Alex Harrison ranks second on the team, tallying three goals for EIU, while senior midfielder Mike Galeski leads the squad with four assists, while also scoring twice on the campaign. The Panthers have done well in road contests as well, sporting a 5-1-1 record in road and neutral site contests this season.

UAB enters this Wednesday's contest with a 5-4 overall record, which include a pair of 1-0 setbacks to Jacksonville (9/23) and South Carolina (9/29) in its last two contests. Prior to the back-to-back losses, the Blazers put together a five-game winning streak, which included a victory at then-No. 10 Indiana on Sept. 21.

The Blazers are led by MAC Hermann Trophy candidate junior Dejan Jakovic. The Etibicoke, Ontario native is living up to his billing as one of the top players in the country, leading his team in goals (5) and points (11) on the season. Meanwhile, junior Frank Brown is also making his presence felt, as the Preston, England native is second on the team with four goals and 10 points. The Blazers are 4-0 when Jakovic finds the back of the net this season, and 2-0 when the two leading scorers account for a goal in the same game.

Defensively, goalkeeper Wes Johnson, a two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, leads the Blazers. Johnson has recorded three shutouts and an impressive 0.82 goals allowed average this season.

Despite losing back-to-back, 1-0, contests, the UAB men's soccer team remains on a streak as of late. Even with the losses, the Blazers have captured five wins over their last seven contests, including victories at then-No. 10 Indiana (2-1) and two wins to secure the 2007 UAB Classic championship on Sept. 16. Over their last seven games, UAB has outscored the competition by a count of 13-3 and recorded four shutouts during the stretch.

All UAB students who present a valid ID at the gate will receive free food during the game. The contest can also be followed live on gametracker, which can be accessed by going to the UAB website, uabsports.com.