Oct. 16, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's soccer team will host Kentucky in a crucial Conference USA match on Saturday at 7 p.m. at West Campus Field. The Blazers (4-6-2, 1-2 C-USA) will enter the contest a game behind the Wildcats (6-4-2, 2-1) in the latest league standings.

"This is an important game in many aspects," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "Kentucky is a very talented team and will present quite a challenge for us. This is our homecoming game, so we are hoping for a large, boisterous crowd to give us a home field advantage. No matter what, it will be a great collegiate soccer game against two very good teams."

The game will take place following the UAB-Marshall football homecoming game at 3 p.m. Any fans who present a ticket stub from the football game will receive free admission to the soccer game. Additionally, any student who comes to the contest will receive an official UAB soccer jersey.

The Blazers are coming off a 1-0 loss at UCF last Saturday, after defeating regionally-ranked Alabama A&M, 4-1, on Oct. 8. UAB is led on the year by a pair of players with eight points each on the year. Senior Derek Rios and junior Two-Boys Gumede each have accounted for three goals and two assists this season. Senior Shane Elsner (2g, 0a), sophomore Michal Mravec (2g, 2a) and sophomore Kevin Sawchak (2g, 1a) also have contributed on the offensive end.

Defensively, junior Wes Johnson has a 0.89 GAA, allowing seven goals while making 28 saves on the campaign.

The Wildcats enter Saturday night's contest on a roll after a 2-0 victory over then No. 18 South Carolina. As a result of the win, Kentucky forward Tim Crone and goalkeeper Dan Williams were named Offensive and Defensive C-USA Player of the Week, respectively.

Williams leads the league with a 0.73 goals allowed average and now has 12 career shutouts during his standout career.

Meanwhile, Crone, who scored the game-winner against the Gamecocks, now has four goals on the campaign, which is second-best on the club. Forward Michael Strong leads the team and is one of the top goal scorers in Conference USA, accounting for seven on the year. He leads the team in goals and points (15).

The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. CT at West Campus Fied and can be followed live on Gametracker by logging on to UABsports.com.

The match is free to UAB students who have a valid student ID. Additionally, students and UAB men's soccer season ticket holders are encouraged to come and enjoy free food and drinks at a pregame tailgate that will begin 90 minutes before the game (5:30 p.m. CT).