The Matadors (1-2-0) bounced back from two consecutive losses with a 2-0 win over No. 18 University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers in the opening match of the 2014 Holiday Inn Hurricane Classic, Friday night.
Sophomore defender Gabe Robinson was the star of the night for scoring a goal and providing an assist, while last season’s All-American striker Sagi Lev-Ari continued his scoring spree to hand the Matadors their first win of the season.
The match began slowly as each team played cautiously. As the game progressed, Robinson collected the ball for a throw-in and launched it straight to Lev-Ari to score from six yards out in the thirteenth minute. Lev-Ari moved up to fifth place on the all-time Big West Conference top-scorers after scoring his 34th career goal, according to Go Matadors.
Robinson would put his name on the score sheet in the 26th minute thanks to sophomore midfielder Juan Samayoa’s corner kick. Robinson slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Matadors a 2-0 lead.
The Matadors kept a tight defense and did not give the Blazers a single chance until the 62nd minute. The Blazers’ best opportunity came in the 75th minute, but junior goalkeeper Adam Hobbs made sure the Matadors would leave the game with a clean sheet.
The Blazers would not back down and put immense pressure on the Matadors for the remainder of the game, but Hobbs continued to pull out saves to keep the game at 2-0.
