1. Why did you choose ODU?
a. Originally, I went to NC State for my freshman year, and then I transferred over. I really liked the coaching staff and I liked the location of the school. I also knew ODU had a good soccer program, so those were some main points for me.
2. What are some goals you have set for yourself going into your junior year?
a. I would like for the team to win the conference USA championship. That’s the big goal. Individual goals would be first team all-conference and conference USA defender of the year.
3. Who is your favorite soccer team and why?
a. Arsenal, absolutely. Ever since I first started watching soccer consistently, Thierry Henry played for Arsenal and they were the best team in England by far. They play the best soccer and I have stuck with them since about roughly 2002.
4. What team did you want to win during the 2014 World Cup, Argentina or Germany and why?
a. Well first of all, I wanted the USA to win obviously, but, I wanted Germany to win that game. I thought that they were the better team and they have a couple players from Arsenal.
5. What is the most challenging thing about playing defense?
a. The responsibility, because the forwards can be kind of quiet all game and then they score a goal and they just had a great game. On defense, you can be quiet all game, make one mistake and get scored on and the whole game is your fault and it is a lot different.
6. What is the easiest thing about being a defender?
a. Getting to get in some tackles. That is my favorite part about it, just running the ball from people
7. Who do you think would win in a fight, Superman or Batman and why?
a. I’m going to go with Batman. He has got more money and they are making a movie about Superman and Batman. Obviously Superman shouldn’t need anybody’s help, but he is asking for Batman’s help so I figured Batman can win in a fight.
8. What is your pregame ritual?
a. We have a pregame meal and then I go and take a nice little nap for about forty-five minutes to an hour. Then, I go and get my treatment done on my ankle and then go in, take a shower in the locker room and then we have a little warm up mix that we listen to in the locker room.
9. What artists would we find on your pregame playlist?
a. We actually have a pretty decent selection of just a variety of people, but I would say there is a good amount of Kanye West on there.
10. When did you start playing soccer?
a. When I was three. I have been doing it for a while.
11. Who is the person in your life that has helped you get to where you are today?
a. My old club coach Bruce Talbot. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.
12. Who is the funniest person on the team and why?
a. I’m going to go with Nick Hutchinson. You will have a conversation with him and it will take a left turn out of nowhere and he is just saying something stupid and you can’t help but laugh because you have no idea how the conversation got to that point.
13. If you could travel anywhere outside the United States, where would you go and why?
a. Jamaica. I like the beach. Good food and good music.
14. What do you plan to do with your sports management degree?
a. I have a marketing minor, and I would like to work as a marketing agent for a sports brand or sports franchise.
15. Who are your favorite NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL teams and why?
a. NFL, Washington Redskins. My family is from D.C. so it is in my blood. NBA, Chicago Bulls. When I was about four years old I met Michael Jordan. To this day, best day of my life and I have been a Bulls fan ever since. MLB, Houston Astros. That one doesn’t really make any sense, I am from Texas so I just went with the Astros, but there is no meaning behind it. NHL, Chicago Blackhawks because I like their logo and they got Patrick Kane, so that’s cool.
16. What do you enjoy doing in your downtime when you are not in class or on the field?
a. We watch a lot of Netflix in my house, so we kill that a bunch. In the summer, I like going to the beach and finding fun stuff to do outside so I am not cooped up all day.
17. Which team or teams are you looking forward to playing this season?
a. Charlotte is a big one for me. I have two really good friends on that team from when I was at NC State. One of them is my old roommate, and he is a forward so, I get to go up against him the entire game. South Florida was a fun game for me too because they have a forward and me and him have been friends since we were about fourteen so those are the two big ones for me.
18. What has been your most memorable experience here at ODU?
a. I would say the first round of the NCAA tournament against Drexel last year. Just to be able to start out as well as we did, that was the best we played all year. We were up 3-0 after thirty minutes and just to be able to get that win. It was my first time being in the NCAA tournament so it was really special, so it was a special win.
by ODU communications intern Erin Wald