The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men’s Soccer Season Preview Part 2: The Defenders
8/6/2018 9:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With eight days until the UAB men's soccer team begins its season with an exhibition match at Clemson on Aug. 14, we continue our look at the 2018 squad as we highlight the defenders.
UAB has eight defenders on the squad, all returners from last year's team.
Centerbacks
"For the first time in a long time we have four good, quality centerbacks on our team," head coach Mike Getman said. "All of these guys now have college soccer experience."
Mathieu Laurent | Redshirt Senior | Markham, Ontario
Laurent started 14 games last season en route to earning Conference USA Second Team Honors. The team captain finished second on the team in goals, including netting the game winner in 2-0 victory over Florida Atlantic on October 21.
Getman on Laurent:
"He has been our team captain and he is by far our most experienced defender at this point. He is a great athlete, great soccer player and a great leader so he is certainly one of the keys to our success."
Alexandrea Ricourt | Sophomore | Paris France
Ricourt appeared in every game, while making 14 starts as a freshman a season ago. He fired six shots, with five on target to record the best shot on goal percentage on the squad with a .833 mark. Additionally, he recorded his first career point with an assist against Florida Atlantic on October 21.
Donovan Watson | Sophomore | Toronto, Canada
Watson appeared in the final 13 games of the season with five starts after coming off of an injury. He led the team in assist as a freshman, and his efforts in the classroom earned him a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
Getman on Ricourt and Watson:
"Working with Laurent is Alex Ricourt and Donovan Watson, who were both freshman last year and played a lot of minutes, but they were new to college soccer. They had really good years, but each one has a year of experience under their belt and I think they are going to help make us a much better team."
Erik Henze | Redshirt Senior | Birmingham, Ala.
Henze made one appearance last season in the Blazers' 3-0 win at Memphis on August 27. Off the field, Henze is a great ambassador for UAB as he serves as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, after serving as the Vice President in 2017-18. He earned the Fall 2015 Spirit of Service Award as a Freshman before earning the honor two more times in 2017 and 2018. Henze was voted as the 2017 Green and Golden Globes Teammate of the Year. Since the fall of 2015, he has logged 290 hours of community service spanning 145 commitments.
Getman on Henze:
"Erik did not play as much last year, but he has really come along and developed into a solid player. He gives us four centerbacks that we know we can count on."
"Two years ago Laurent literally had to play every minute of every game, he never came off the field the entire season," Getman said. "With four centerbacks we can make sure that everybody stays rested and fresh and is at their best. I think those four guys give up something we have not had in a long time."
Outsidebacks
Chris Reichman | Redshirt Junior | Englewood, Colo.
Reichman appeared in every game last season, while making eight starts on the backline. The Colorado native fired four shots, with two on frame.
Getman on Reichman:
"He will be a junior, but he redshirted one year due to injury so this is his fourth year with the program. He is a terrific player who is very experienced and solid in all areas. Chris gives us leadership out of the back and that is very important to us."
Gael Mabiala |Senior | Saint-Etienne, France
Mabiala started all 16 games last season on the backline for the Blazers. As a junior he fired 14 shots with four on frame.
Getman on Mabiala:
"Gael will be a senior, but last year was his first season at UAB. Going from Division II to Division I was a big step up and he had a great year and played a big role. Now that he has been here and done it, I expect him to have a great senior year. He is probably the fastest guy on our team and even though he is a defender he is a great attacking player. I expect him to have a big role for us this year both offensively and defensively."
Jake Futrell | Redshirt Senior | Auburn, Ala.
Futrell appeared in five games as a freshman in 2017. He tallied three shots with one on target.
Getman on Futrell:
"Jake has struggled with some injuries over the years, but is healthy now. Big, athletic, and how he has a year of experience under his belt so I expect him to have a big eyar. He had a great spring and proved that he can make a difference at this level. He has blazing seed so I expect him to have a big role on our team."
Trey Nelson | Junior | Montgomery, Ala.
Nelson was key player off the bench in 2017, making his way into 14 games. The Montgomery native netted his first career goal in a 2-1 win at Jacksonville on Sept. 1. This season, he is transitioning from a forward to the defender position.
Getman on Nelson:
"Trey has spent his first two years as a forward, but we have moved him to defensive position at left back. He had a great spring, and similar to Gael Mabiala, he adds great athleticism with great attacking ability. He gives us a real threat out of the back."
"Those four guys I expect to all get a lot of minutes and be able to give each other some rest as needed," Getman said. "As a unit, I expect them to be fresh at all times and be effective for all 90 minutes, because nobody should be fading at the end like we have in years past."
The Blazers open up the exhibition season on Aug. 14, with the home opener set for Aug. 18 against Mercer.
Fans can receive access to every men's soccer, women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MSoc) or on Instagram (UAB_MSoc).
UAB has eight defenders on the squad, all returners from last year's team.
Centerbacks
"For the first time in a long time we have four good, quality centerbacks on our team," head coach Mike Getman said. "All of these guys now have college soccer experience."
Mathieu Laurent | Redshirt Senior | Markham, Ontario
Laurent started 14 games last season en route to earning Conference USA Second Team Honors. The team captain finished second on the team in goals, including netting the game winner in 2-0 victory over Florida Atlantic on October 21.
Getman on Laurent:
"He has been our team captain and he is by far our most experienced defender at this point. He is a great athlete, great soccer player and a great leader so he is certainly one of the keys to our success."
Alexandrea Ricourt | Sophomore | Paris France
Ricourt appeared in every game, while making 14 starts as a freshman a season ago. He fired six shots, with five on target to record the best shot on goal percentage on the squad with a .833 mark. Additionally, he recorded his first career point with an assist against Florida Atlantic on October 21.
Donovan Watson | Sophomore | Toronto, Canada
Watson appeared in the final 13 games of the season with five starts after coming off of an injury. He led the team in assist as a freshman, and his efforts in the classroom earned him a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
Getman on Ricourt and Watson:
"Working with Laurent is Alex Ricourt and Donovan Watson, who were both freshman last year and played a lot of minutes, but they were new to college soccer. They had really good years, but each one has a year of experience under their belt and I think they are going to help make us a much better team."
Erik Henze | Redshirt Senior | Birmingham, Ala.
Henze made one appearance last season in the Blazers' 3-0 win at Memphis on August 27. Off the field, Henze is a great ambassador for UAB as he serves as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, after serving as the Vice President in 2017-18. He earned the Fall 2015 Spirit of Service Award as a Freshman before earning the honor two more times in 2017 and 2018. Henze was voted as the 2017 Green and Golden Globes Teammate of the Year. Since the fall of 2015, he has logged 290 hours of community service spanning 145 commitments.
Getman on Henze:
"Erik did not play as much last year, but he has really come along and developed into a solid player. He gives us four centerbacks that we know we can count on."
"Two years ago Laurent literally had to play every minute of every game, he never came off the field the entire season," Getman said. "With four centerbacks we can make sure that everybody stays rested and fresh and is at their best. I think those four guys give up something we have not had in a long time."
Outsidebacks
Chris Reichman | Redshirt Junior | Englewood, Colo.
Reichman appeared in every game last season, while making eight starts on the backline. The Colorado native fired four shots, with two on frame.
Getman on Reichman:
"He will be a junior, but he redshirted one year due to injury so this is his fourth year with the program. He is a terrific player who is very experienced and solid in all areas. Chris gives us leadership out of the back and that is very important to us."
Gael Mabiala |Senior | Saint-Etienne, France
Mabiala started all 16 games last season on the backline for the Blazers. As a junior he fired 14 shots with four on frame.
Getman on Mabiala:
"Gael will be a senior, but last year was his first season at UAB. Going from Division II to Division I was a big step up and he had a great year and played a big role. Now that he has been here and done it, I expect him to have a great senior year. He is probably the fastest guy on our team and even though he is a defender he is a great attacking player. I expect him to have a big role for us this year both offensively and defensively."
Jake Futrell | Redshirt Senior | Auburn, Ala.
Futrell appeared in five games as a freshman in 2017. He tallied three shots with one on target.
Getman on Futrell:
"Jake has struggled with some injuries over the years, but is healthy now. Big, athletic, and how he has a year of experience under his belt so I expect him to have a big eyar. He had a great spring and proved that he can make a difference at this level. He has blazing seed so I expect him to have a big role on our team."
Trey Nelson | Junior | Montgomery, Ala.
Nelson was key player off the bench in 2017, making his way into 14 games. The Montgomery native netted his first career goal in a 2-1 win at Jacksonville on Sept. 1. This season, he is transitioning from a forward to the defender position.
Getman on Nelson:
"Trey has spent his first two years as a forward, but we have moved him to defensive position at left back. He had a great spring, and similar to Gael Mabiala, he adds great athleticism with great attacking ability. He gives us a real threat out of the back."
"Those four guys I expect to all get a lot of minutes and be able to give each other some rest as needed," Getman said. "As a unit, I expect them to be fresh at all times and be effective for all 90 minutes, because nobody should be fading at the end like we have in years past."
The Blazers open up the exhibition season on Aug. 14, with the home opener set for Aug. 18 against Mercer.
Fans can receive access to every men's soccer, women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB men's soccer team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MSoc) or on Instagram (UAB_MSoc).
Players Mentioned
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