Birmingham, Ala. - Tenth-ranked UAB knocked off second-ranked Saint Louis 1-0 tonight in a Conference USA men's soccer match at West Campus Field. Blazers midfielder Bubba Garcia scored 38 seconds into the match, and UAB keeper Clint Baumstark made it stand up.
"We certainly weren't disappointed with the way we played," Billikens head coach Dan Donigan said. "We created some great opportunities, but we just couldn't convert that last touch. Their goalkeeper won the game for them in the first half with some terrific saves. If we keep playing like this, we won't lose many more matches."
UAB scored off its possession off the opening kick-off. After an initial touch by Martin Rey, Flavio Monteiro flicked a ball to the right post that Garcia tapped in. The Billikens pressed the attack in the first half and out-shot the Blazers 8-2, but Baumstark came up with four saves.
The shots were five apiece in the second half, but Baumstock stopped four more SLU shots. A scramble in front of the UAB goal in the 90th minute resulted in an ejection for UAB midfielder Nelson Mata.
The Blazers (12-2-0, 6-1-0) gained a share of first place in C-USA with the victory. Saint Louis out-shot the Blazers 13-7 and enjoyed a 7-4 edge in corner kicks. Baumstark made eight saves to post the shutout, while Billikens keeper John Politis made two saves.
The loss snapped a number of streaks. The Billikens' (10-1-0, 6-1-0) 10-game unbeaten streak to start the season was their best since the 1971 Billikens began with 17 consecutive wins. Stretching back to last season, the Billikens had a 16-game unbeaten string and a nine-game road win streak entering the match. Senior striker Dipsy Selolwane had his 10-game goal scoring streak stopped. It was the best since Steve Sullivan scored in 11 consecutive matches in 1979.
Saint Louis returns home to entertain Louisville on Sat., Oct. 27, for a 7 p.m. kick-off at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
UAB 1, SAINT LOUIS 0
UAB 00:38 Bubba Garcia from Flavio Monteiro, Martin Rey
Shots: SLU-13, UAB-7 Corners: SLU-7, UAB-4 Saves: SLU-2 (Politis), UAB-8 (Baumstark) Fouls: SLU-9, UAB-20
