Sept. 20, 2007

Kennesaw State/Samford Game Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB women's soccer team has a pair of non-conference matches on the schedule this weekend, including a 7:00 p.m. ET game at Kennesaw State Friday, followed by a 6:00 p.m. CT matchup at Samford on Sunday.

The Blazers (4-1-1) are coming off a split weekend at the Vanderbilt Classic tournament, topping St. Mary's 1-0 and falling to Gonzaga by a count of 2-1.

UAB will meet the Owls for just the second time in program history on Friday at the KSU Soccer Complex in Kennesaw, Ga. The two schools met previously in 2005, where the Owls earned a 2-0 victory over the Blazers in Birmingham.

Kennesaw State, who is led by sixth-year head coach Rob King, has a 3-2-0 record that includes wins over Alabama, Wofford and Jacksonville State.

"Kennesaw State is a quality, well-coached team," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "They won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2003 before they moved to Division I. They are a great women's soccer program."

The Blazers will round out their weekend by returning to Birmingham to play at Samford on Sunday at Bulldog Field.

Led by sixth-year head coach Todd Yelton, the Bulldogs have won four consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships (2003-06) and have a 4-2-0 record this season. Sunday will mark the first time the two squads will meet during the regular season.

"Samford has won many OVC Championships and is a very good team," said Harbin. "Todd and I are good friends and he used to be one of my assistants here. There are many elements that make this an outstanding cross-town rivalry.

"We have played Samford quite a few times in the spring season, but have never played them in the regular season. This is going to be a great soccer match and it will be a positive event for soccer in the Birmingham area."