Sept. 6, 2001

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB women's soccer team begins its home season here Friday in the opening day of the UAB Nike Classic against Ole Miss in a 7 p.m. match at West Campus Field. TCU and Mississippi State are slated to open the event at 5 p.m.

The Blazers (0-2-0) look for their first victory of the season after dropping a narrow 2-1 decision at No. 4 ranked Nebraska last Sunday in their last outing. Against Ole Miss, UAB faces a squad that has lost its first two games of the season to Virginia (3-0) and James Madison (1-0).

As for the other teams in the field, TCU enters the weekend at 1-1-0 while Mississippi State is 2-0-0 on the season with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock (5-1) and Tulane (4-2).

The Blazers top scorer through the first two matches has been freshman Tara Kidwell (Leesburg, Va.). The 5-foot-4 forward has collected a goal in each of the first two matches.

The UAB men's classic also runs this weekend Saturday with Birmingham-Southern taking on Florida Atlantic at 5 p.m. and the No. 17 men's soccer team facing Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.

The women's action resumes Sunday as TCU and Ole Miss tangle at 10 a.m. followed by a pair of men's matches - Birmingham-Southern/Pittsburgh at noon and UAB/Florida Atlantic at 2 p.m. The UAB women's squad concludes the event with a 4 p.m. tilt against Mississippi State.