BIRMINGHAM – UAB women’s soccer head coach Erica Demers has announced that six newcomers have signed on to join the Blazers.
The Blazers welcome Izelle Barriere, Graycie Elliott, Amanda Hall, Kendall Page, Ava Martin and Georgia White to the soccer family.
Izelle Barriere | Sainte-Thérèse, Québec | Ècole Saint-Gabriel / CNHP
Barriere becomes the first player from the province of Québec to be recruited by Demers and her staff. She recently played for A.S. Blainville, where she led the squad to the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec championship. Additionally, she was a member of the Canada Soccer’s Women’s EXCEL program.
Demers on Barriere: “We are so thrilled to have Izelle be a part of our program and finally get to call Birmingham home. Izelle is our first recruit from Québec, Canada – an area we have been looking to grow a pipeline with for a while. Izelle will bring speed and tenacity to our front line and she also has vital experience training with older players this past year. This day has been a long time coming for her, and we couldn’t be happier that she will finally get to show her skills wearing the Green and Gold.”
Graycie Elliott | Beechwood Academy | Durham, N.C.
A diverse player, Elliott can play midfield as well as the backline. She was a 2018/2019 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Player to Watch and capped the 2015 season with an Eastern Region leading 37 goal and 18 assist performance.
Demers on Elliott: “We are so happy that Graycie made her decision to attend UAB and it’s an even bigger boost to have her start with us this Spring. One thing that stood out to us the most about Graycie was her ability to command as a vocal leader and be an example on the field. This instantly drew us to her. More of a defensive minded player, Graycie will fit in immediately as she is able to play both in our backline and as a deep midfielder, cleaning up plays and winning the ball back for us. Her ability to be versatile and her overall love for the game means we cannot wait to start working with her this Spring.”
Amanda Hall | Birmingham, Ala. | John Carroll
A local product, Hall is a three-time Alabama High School Athletic Association First Team All-State selection as well as being named to the Metro A-Division First Team in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Hall was selected to play in the annual North-South All-Star Game, but the contest was canceled due to Covid-19. Hall led the Cavaliers to the 2018 AHSAA State Championship.
Demers on Hall: “Keeping good local players at home has been extremely important to us in the recruiting process, and we could not be happier to have Amanda stay in-state and join us at UAB. We have had our eye on Amanda for quite some time. Being a strong dual athlete in soccer and basketball, we were thrilled when she made the decision to be a Blazer! A member of the Alabama FC ECNL team, she is a defensive stalwart that we are hoping to utilize in a couple positions to help us break up plays, win the battle in both boxes and help ignite our ball movement.”
Kendall Page | Cumming, Ga. | Lambert
Page is coming off a 2019 season where she scored four times and set up 14 goals while leading Lambert to a Region championship and a berth in the State Championship game. For her efforts, she was named First Team All-County. Top Drawer Soccer recognized Page as a National High School All-American Spring Star and was part of the Longhorns team that earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award. She was the team captain of the Atlanta Fire Academy squad that won the 2016 Georgia State Cup.
Demers on Page: “We are thrilled to have Kendall join our team this Fall. Another Lambert High School player for us from Georgia, Kendall will bring excitement to our midfield group. Her creativity when breaking down a player on the dribble, her defensive effort with purpose and her ability to not only see but also hit a range of passes many miss are all special – we expect big things from her! Her extensive level of play at a high level, from DA to ECNL, has given her that competitive drive and desire to win. We are excited to start see what Kendall can bring to the Blazer Family this August.”
Ava Martin | Brantford, Ontario | St. John’s
Another product of Canada, Martin arrives in Birmingham from Brantford, Ontario which is approximately 65 miles southwest of Toronto. While playing for Paris FC, Martin was a part of squads that won the League Cup as well as the indoor championship. Martin represented the bronze medal winning Team Ontario in the U16 division at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games. While playing for Hamilton United SC, Martin was teammate of current Blazers keeper Anika Toth.
Demers on Martin: “Ava is an exciting addition. The first time we saw her, we loved her work ethic, ability to dribble at an opponent, and, honestly, the amount of joy she exudes when she plays is infectious! Another native of Canada, we are excited to bring a different style and background of soccer development to our team. We are delighted for Ava to arrive in the Fall and bring her energy and fun to the team.”
Georgia White | Madison, Ala. | Bob Jones
Another in-state player, White joined Hall on the AHSAA All-Star team. A three-year captain of Bob Jones, she recorded 33 goals and 17 assists for her career with the Patriots. A member of the Alabama FC 03, White has 40 career ECNL goals along with 11 assists.
Demers on White: “Similar to her teammate and Alabama native, Amanda, it’s a real win that we were able to offer a talent like Georgia White the college experience she wants in her own back yard. Georgia is a fun player to watch with her ability to not only create goals for herself but also her teammates. Scoring numerous goals at both the ECNL and high school level, we are excited to see what she can do to the UAB women’s soccer stat sheet from the minute she arrives on campus.”
Women’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.
