Marshall University Athletics
Saturday, September 22
Birmingham, AL
8:00 pm
Marshall University
at
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Photo by: Ben Powell
Men’s Soccer Travels South for Conference Match at UAB
9/21/2018 4:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Kickoff from BBVA Compass Field set for 8 p.m. eastern
Live Stats
Live Video Stream – CUSAtv
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a long layoff due to the postponement of the match at South Carolina, the Marshall men's soccer team is back on the pitch for the first time since Sept. 11. The Herd takes on the UAB Blazers on Saturday at 8 p.m. eastern.
The Thundering Herd enters the match with a record of 2-3-1 and 0-1-0 in Conference USA. The Blazers come in at 1-5-1 and 0-2-0 in conference play. The game will be broadcast on CUSAtv.
"With the hurricane postponing our South Carolina match, the lads are very well rested," Herd head coach Chris Grassie said. "We were able to have a break and then do a mini preseason in a way, so we're all very ready for this match.
"We're looking forward to playing UAB, and getting our season rolling again. Hopefully we will feel fresh and we'll be able to dictate the intensity of the match. If we can, then we should be able to come away with three points."
The Herd's last match was a close 1-0 loss at then No. 19 Virginia. Marshall was scheduled to play at South Carolina for its second C-USA match of the season, but the contest was moved to Tuesday Oct. 30 due to Hurricane Florence. Marshall has allowed just six goals this season through six matches. The Herd defense has played very well in taking away opportunities against some excellent offensive attacks.
Redshirt junior keeper Paulo Pita has played all 563 minutes this season and has a 0.96 goals against average, 19 saves and three shutouts. Senior defender Chris Taibi is the only other Marshall player to have been on the field for every minute.
Five different players have scored for the Herd in 2018. Jonas Westmeyer, Kelan Swales, Vinicius Fernandes, Gianni Bouzoukis and JP Rylah all have knocked in one goal each this season. Westmeyer leads with two assists.
UAB has only had a four-day layoff since its last match, a 1-1 double overtime draw versus former C-USA member the Memphis Tigers. The Blazers' lone win this season was a 2-1, double overtime win at Santa Clara on Aug. 26. UAB has been outscored 11-6 and the squad has used two different players in net this season. James Teal has played 504 minutes, allowed eight goals, has 12 saves and a record of 1-4-1. Seth Torman has logged 200 minutes, allowed three goals, has 10 saves and a record of 0-1-0.
Saturday night will be the 17th all-time meeting between the schools. UAB leads the series 11-4-1. Marshall has won two of the last three matches including a 2-1 double overtime victory in Huntington in 2017.
After the match in Birmingham, Marshall stays on the road to take on Butler on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The Herd does not return to Hoops Family Field for a home match until Sept. 29 against Old Dominion.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall men's soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Live Video Stream – CUSAtv
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a long layoff due to the postponement of the match at South Carolina, the Marshall men's soccer team is back on the pitch for the first time since Sept. 11. The Herd takes on the UAB Blazers on Saturday at 8 p.m. eastern.
The Thundering Herd enters the match with a record of 2-3-1 and 0-1-0 in Conference USA. The Blazers come in at 1-5-1 and 0-2-0 in conference play. The game will be broadcast on CUSAtv.
"With the hurricane postponing our South Carolina match, the lads are very well rested," Herd head coach Chris Grassie said. "We were able to have a break and then do a mini preseason in a way, so we're all very ready for this match.
"We're looking forward to playing UAB, and getting our season rolling again. Hopefully we will feel fresh and we'll be able to dictate the intensity of the match. If we can, then we should be able to come away with three points."
The Herd's last match was a close 1-0 loss at then No. 19 Virginia. Marshall was scheduled to play at South Carolina for its second C-USA match of the season, but the contest was moved to Tuesday Oct. 30 due to Hurricane Florence. Marshall has allowed just six goals this season through six matches. The Herd defense has played very well in taking away opportunities against some excellent offensive attacks.
Redshirt junior keeper Paulo Pita has played all 563 minutes this season and has a 0.96 goals against average, 19 saves and three shutouts. Senior defender Chris Taibi is the only other Marshall player to have been on the field for every minute.
Five different players have scored for the Herd in 2018. Jonas Westmeyer, Kelan Swales, Vinicius Fernandes, Gianni Bouzoukis and JP Rylah all have knocked in one goal each this season. Westmeyer leads with two assists.
UAB has only had a four-day layoff since its last match, a 1-1 double overtime draw versus former C-USA member the Memphis Tigers. The Blazers' lone win this season was a 2-1, double overtime win at Santa Clara on Aug. 26. UAB has been outscored 11-6 and the squad has used two different players in net this season. James Teal has played 504 minutes, allowed eight goals, has 12 saves and a record of 1-4-1. Seth Torman has logged 200 minutes, allowed three goals, has 10 saves and a record of 0-1-0.
Saturday night will be the 17th all-time meeting between the schools. UAB leads the series 11-4-1. Marshall has won two of the last three matches including a 2-1 double overtime victory in Huntington in 2017.
After the match in Birmingham, Marshall stays on the road to take on Butler on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The Herd does not return to Hoops Family Field for a home match until Sept. 29 against Old Dominion.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall men's soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
---HerdZone.com---
Players Mentioned
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