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Big match goes sour for USF in 3-0 loss

UAB outplayed the Bulls in a meeting of ranked C-USA teams.

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By ROBYN DISNEY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 6, 2001

TAMPA -- The defense for the South Florida men's team had four shutouts in its first eight games.

But against Martin Rey and Alabama-Birmingham on Friday night, the Bulls, ranked No. 10 by Collegesoccer.com, were flat.

Rey scored twice for the Blazers and Mike Garcia added another as USF (8-1) lost 3-0 in a Conference USA game in front of 550 at the USF Soccer Stadium. After 10 minutes, UAB's midfield began to control possession and the tempo.

"The intensity wasn't always there," USF forward Jason Cudjoe said. "And sometimes there was a lack of effort."

UAB (7-1) struck in the 28th minute when Rey got behind the defenders and USF goalkeeper Troy Perkins went to the edge of the box to try to punch the ball away. But he missed and Rey headed the ball over Perkins' head for a 1-0 lead.

Rey scored again when he knocked down a pass from Jonathan Weimer. With no defenders around, Rey had ample time to aim and send the ball past Perkins for a 2-0.

"We got some young guys in the back and our inexperience showed a couple of times tonight," USF coach John Hackworth said. "We didn't do the simple things. We didn't play disciplined soccer."

The Bulls never had trailed by two goals this season. UAB's defense was able to not only keep Cudjoe, USF's leading scorer, in check, but the other weapons as well.

"It's not just Jason Cudjoe. He's obviously been scoring their goals," UAB coach Mike Getman said. "But I think Jason and Gabriel (Salgado) both are just a terrific tandem up front. And Jeff Thwaites at midfield scares me as well. And I thought our defenders did a great job.

"But they had a couple of chances and our keeper (Clint Baumstark) came up with a couple of great saves."

The plan for the Bulls was to spread the outside midfielders and to play Cudjoe wide so UAB defenders would follow him and leave other Bulls open.

"I was supposed to go out wide on (the left) side and (leave) nothing but space over (on the right side) and I would be able to get the ball to someone," Cudjoe said. "That didn't work."

After getting tangled with freshman defender Jared Vock, Garcia got past and won a one-on-one with Perkins for his first goal of the season.

"I don't anyone had a good game for us in particular," Hackworth said. "Troy certainly didn't have his usual performance. It wasn't his fault. But he didn't play the way he was capable of playing."

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