BIRMINGHAM – The UAB men’s soccer team picked up plenty of new talent in the offseason, signing 15 new players to the squad for the 2020 season. Over the next few weeks, UABSports.com will profile these newcomers leading into the start of the season, with today featuring Mayno Linares, Cale Loughrey and Mason Robicheaux.
Mayno Linares, Fr., Houston, Texas
Linares comes to UAB from Elsik High School in Houston, Texas where he was named Gatorade Texas State Player of the Year in 2020. He helped guide the Rams to a 2018 Texas State and USA Today High School National Championship as a sophomore. His junior season he was named ESPN All-State High School All-American. The 5-5 forward led the Rams to a 21-0-1 record with 19 goals and a state-leading 31 assists in his senior year before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The standout finished his career with a school record 103 career goals and 86 assists.
Coach Kinney on Linares:
“Mayno is an explosive forward, we expect him to help our attacking group immediately. He has the ability to score goals in many different ways and will be difficult to keep off of the score board.”
Cale Loughrey, So., Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Loughrey joins the Blazers after one season at Seneca College in Toronto. The 6-3 midfielder tallied five goals on the season and was named team captain and MVP as a freshman. He earned First Team Allstar OCCAA honors. He played high school soccer for Archbishop Dennis O’Connor where he was team captain of the men’s varsity squad. Loughrey spent time training with the Canadian Premier League team York9 FC as well as playing in Canada’s League 1 with Unionville where he played every minute in 2018 and was named Allstar game MVP in 2019.
Coach Kinney on Loughrey:
“Cale’s competitiveness alone will add to this team immediately. His size and strength will help us lock down midfield, while his technical ability will allow us to play through the center of the park.”
Mason Robicheaux, Jr., Mandeville, La.
Robicheaux enters his first season at UAB after spending the previous two at Appalachian State before the program was shut down in May. In his sophomore season, Robicheaux started all 19 games in the backline for the Mountaineers who recorded 11 wins in 2019. He led all non-goalkeepers in minutes played last season with 1,405 and was named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team. The Mountaineers defense recorded four shutouts in 2019. The Mandeville, La. native played prep soccer at St. Paul’s School where he helped lead his team to two state championships and a No. 1 national ranking. He played club soccer for Northshore United where he was teammates with Blazers defender Brandon Core.
Coach Kinney on Robicheaux:
“Mason has great size and technical ability and was part of a strong rebuild at App State. He brings maturity and leadership qualities along with an ability to play in a few different spots if needed.”
The Blazers are set to kick off the 2020 season at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Georgia State in Atlanta. The home opener against UTRGV is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at BBVA Field. Single game tickets are available for purchase now here.
Men’s soccer season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2020-21 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB men’s soccer team, follow @UAB_MSoc on Twitter and Instagram.
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