Oct. 31, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's soccer team prepares for another vital Conference USA match when it takes on Florida International on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET in Miami, Fla. Should the Blazers capture a win, they will seal their 14th consecutive appearance in the C-USA Tournament, which will take place in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 12-16.

Florida International enters Saturday's contest sporting a 2-10-2 overall record and is 1-5 in league play. The Golden Panthers dropped a 2-0 decision to then-No. 9 Tulsa last Wednesday, which marked their fourth consecutive defeat.

Leading the way for FIU is Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Juan Guerra, who has team highs of six goals, three assists and 15 points on the campaign. Marcos Ballardes is second on the team with two goals and five points.

Goalkeeper Shane Lopez has started the last two contests for the Golden Panthers. In three games this season, Lopez has allowed nine goals (2.68 GAA) and made 19 saves. Jesse Fullerton, who has made seven starts and 10 appearances on the campaign, allowed 19 goals (1.85 GAA) and made 47 saves.

Leading the way for UAB is junior midfielder Two-Boys Gumede, who holds the team lead in goals (4) and points (10) on the campaign. Senior forward Derek Rios, who has missed five games with a variety of injuries this season, is second on the team with eight points (3g, 2a), while sophomore Kevin Sawchak has three goals and six points on the year, including a team-best two game-winning scores. Senior midfielder Carlo Schiavoni has a team-leading three assists on the year.

Junior goalkeeper Wes Johnson has started 11 games in the net for UAB. He comes into Wednesday's match with a 1.07 goals allowed average, which ranks fifth in C-USA, making 41 saves while allowing just 12 goals on the campaign.

FIU owns a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series; however, UAB has captured wins in two of the last three meetings between the two teams. Last season, the Golden Panthers snapped a two-game losing streak to the Blazers with a 2-1 double-overtime victory at West Campus Field on Oct. 12, 2007.

The contest can be followed live on the FIUsports.com website.