UAB ties men's soccer 1-1

[redpony]

UAB and the SMU mens' soccer team battled to a 1-1 tie at the end of two overtime periods.
We looked and played much better than last week. However, we were unable to come away with a victory. UAB scored early on a defensive lapse and had few opportunities as the game progressed.
Some areas that continued to cause problems for the Mustangs were: sloppy passing, getting pushed off of the ball, weak counter attacks and lack of a strong offense. Many of our shots were from 30-35 yards out. IMHO we do not have players with the ability to fire 'missle' type shots from that distance. UAB seemed to be much more effective with set plays on corner kicks and free kicks close to the box. Hopefully we can look for more improvement at Sunday's game.

GO PONIES!!!

[gk00dad]

" UAB scored early on a defensive lapse and had few opportunities as the game progressed."


Got in late and only saw Leone's goal. What happened in the back this time? Haven't had a chance to talk to Craig and want an unbiased view.

[Higher Authority]

I didn't see it as a "defensive lapse" ... instead, I thought it was a sensational shot by the UAB guy — he got the ball on the left wing, made a quick cut and fired a low, hard shot that hit the far post on the right side and bounced in. I don't know that there's a keeper alive who would have stopped that shot.

Leone Cruz was terrific on both ends — played his usual strong defense, and had several scoring opportunities, using his size and leaping ability as the main target on set pieces. Overall, I thought the defense was very good.

Paulo da Silva also was among those players who looked significantly improved over last week. Maybe he's still getting stronger after the leg injury he suffered last year, but he looked good. He still gets pushed off the ball some, since he's always among the smallest players on the field, but he created several chances for himself and his teammates.

UAB always plays us well, and did so again tonight. Looking forward to the game Sunday against Missouri State.

[Higher Authority]

Nice to see Adam Still back in the lineup. He's a really steadying force in the back, and made several excellent plays tonight.

[redpony]

[quote="Higher Authority"]I didn't see it as a "defensive lapse" ... instead, I thought it was a sensational shot by the UAB guy — he got the ball on the left wing, made a quick cut and fired a low, hard shot that hit the far post on the right side and bounced in. I don't know that there's a keeper alive who would have stopped that shot. [quote"]

I saw the game on all-access. If you were at the game then you were able to see a lot more than I was. IMHO it was a defensive lapse because the other player was at the edge of the box and was hardly being marked. When you have players at the edge of or in the box they should be tightly marked.

Overall, the defense played better than last week and there was better passing. However, there were also a lot of mental mistakes that need to be corrected. I hope they will continue their improvement this Sunday. This team really needs a good victory.

GO PONIES!!!