TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama soccer team was joined by eight new faces this week as the team began workouts for the off season. The Tide welcomed two transfers, Nedya Sawan (Portland) and Melina Rebimbas (North Carolina), and six incoming freshmen in Breezie Brewer, Kiley Kukan, Lexi Meyer, Sophie Neves, Ashley Roni and Maison Smith to Tuscaloosa as early enrollees.
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Practice began Wednesday as the program focused on agility and fitness. Maria Vanore paced the Tide as she completed 50 rounds in the beep test, a program that progressively gets faster as you run a set distance. The team concluded the day with a half field scrimmage.
The Crimson Tide will add a total of 11 new faces to the 2024 squad, highlighted by three transfers in Sawan, Rebimbas and Zivana Labovic. Both Labovic (Michigan State) and Rebimbas (North Carolina) helped lead their teams to the third round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Sawan was a member of Portland’s historic 2022 season as the team returned to the Big Dance for the first time since 2013.
Labovic, Rebimbas and Sawan join a strong group of 2024 freshmen in Brewer, Kukan, Meyer, Madi Munguia, Neves, Madeline Padelski, Roni and Smith signed their National Letters of Intent in November.
The Incoming Squad
Breezie Brewer
Defender | Riverside, Calif.
- Back-to-back U.S. Youth Soccer (USYS) Cal-South National Cup Champions
- Invited to the U.S. Soccer National Training Center Elite Training Camp
- Named the most valuable player and scored the game-winning goal in the 2018 USYS Far-West Regional Championship
- Undefeated 2023 United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) conference champions with SoCal Reds FC, in addition to making the semifinals and two Elite Club National League (ECNL) quarterfinals
Kiley Kukan
Midfielder/Forward | Old Monroe, Mo.
- Two-time Elite Club National League (ECNL) National Champion, winning the title the past two seasons (2022, 2023)
- Named a First Team ECNL Midwest All-Conference honoree in 2022 and 2023
- Invited to the 2022 ECNL National Training Camp
- Three-time U.S. Youth National Team (USYNT) Regional ID Camp participant (2021, 2022, 2023)
- Competed in the 2022 and 2023 ECNL National Selection Game
Zivana Labovic
Midfielder/Defender | Schererville, Ind.
- A senior transfer from Michigan State
- Scored 12 goals and 10 assists with the Spartans,…
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