The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Seven Blazers Earn All-Conference USA Honors
11/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Seven UAB men's soccer players have earned All-Conference USA honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Two Blazers landed a spot on the first team and one each earned a spot on the second and third team. Three Blazer freshmen also garnered all-freshman honors.
Junior forward Freddy Ruiz earned co-offensive MVP honors after being named the Preseason C-USA Offensive Player of the Year. The Fort Payne, Ala. native was the leading scorer in C-USA with 10 goals, a mark that ranked 18th in the NCAA and topped all players in the NCAA's Southeast region. His season total 22 points were second best in the conference and 29th in the NCAA. He averaged 0.59 goals per game, which was tops in the league and 20th in the NCAA.
Ruiz, an All-C-USA First Team repeat selection from a season ago, becomes the first UAB player to earn offensive MVP honors since Two-Boys Gumede garnered the award in 2009.
Senior defender Darion Copeland was also named to the All-C-USA First Team, as he has now earned all-conference honors every season while at UAB (third team in 2013, second team in 2012, all-freshman team in 2011). The Stockbridge, Ga. native has been a key leader of the program since 2011 and helped the UAB backline record three shutouts and hold opponents to one goal or less in 11 different games this season. He has played in all but one match for the Blazers dating back to 2011 and scored one goal and tallied one assist for UAB in the regular season of his senior campaign.
Senior midfielder Alex Clay is also an all-conference repeat selection for the Blazers, earning second team honors this year. Last year's Golden Boot Award winner for scoring the most goals in C-USA action, Clay led the team this season with six assists, which is third-best in the league and 39th in the NCAA. He also ranks in the top-50 in points with 20, third most in C-USA and 50th in the nation. The Huntsville, Ala. native scored seven goals in the regular season and helped lead one of the nation's best offensive attacks with 2.00 goals per game, which ranks 17th in the NCAA.
Junior defender Ian Svantesson was named to the All-C-USA Third Team, his second all-conference honor. The Orlando, Fla. native was named to the all-freshman team in 2012 and played a pivotal role in the Blazers' defense and offense this season. He was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and C-USA Defensive Player of the Week following the first week of the regular season after scoring in the first two matches against Memphis and Mercer. He also helped the UAB defense record three shutouts and hold opponents to one goal or less on 11 different occasions. Svantesson finished the regular season with three goals, tied for fourth-most on the team, putting six of his eight shots on target.
Mathieu Laurent, DeAndre Robinson and David Valverde were all named to the all-freshman team. Robinson appeared in all but one of UAB's regular season matches, serving as a key substitution for the Blazers. The Snellville, Ga. native tallied a goal in the 7-2 win over Marshall in October and also had an assist in the win at Mercer.
Laurent made an immediate impact on the field, starting in 14 of UAB's 17 contests, and helped the UAB defense record three shutouts. He recorded one helper in his freshman campaign in the season-opening win against Memphis.
Valverde also appeared in every UAB match in his first collegiate season, drawing starts in 16 matches. The Mobile, Ala. native totaled two assists in the regular season against Vermont and Missouri State, and was a key member of the UAB offense that averaged 2.00 goals per game over 17 matches.
UAB's seven all-conference selections are tied for the most in program history in a single season (UAB had seven players honored in the 2001 season). The Blazers also tied with Kentucky and Charlotte for the most all-conference selections of any team.
The Blazers open postseason play on Wednesday with a C-USA Championship quarterfinal matchup against the No. 6 seed Marshall. UAB and the Thundering Herd are scheduled to kick at 3:30 p.m. CT at the ODU Soccer Complex.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MensSoccer). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
