Super keeper
Bradley Louis likes to make history.
That’s part of the reason why he chose to play soccer at the University of West Alabama.
Even though the Tigers had just launched their men’s program in 2012, Louis still decided to take his coveted goalkeeping talents to Livingston for the start of the 2014 fall season.
“I went on several visits, and UWA genuinely felt like home,” Louis said.
Hence, it should come as no surprise that the 2014 Oak Mountain High School graduate pounced on the opportunity to play for the upstart Birmingham Hammers, who play home matches at Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex in Vestavia Hills. A member of the club’s inaugural team in 2015, Louis reclaimed a roster spot for the 2016 season.
“It’s really awesome,” he said. “I really like the whole concept of being a part of history and being a part of something new. It’s something special for our city, something special for the surrounding area and something special really for the whole state.”
Although he is only a rising college junior, Louis brings a wealth of experience, booming vocals and unflappable composure to Birmingham’s flagship soccer team.
Owning his box
Before he arrived at the school in 2013, Oak Mountain boys soccer coach Dan DeMasters had heard a number of things about the Eagles’ returning goalkeeper.
He knew he was inheriting a veteran, a rising senior who had spent three years on the varsity squad — and started for two of them.
As such, DeMasters suspected he was getting a leader.
Louis didn’t let him down.
“He listened and soaked everything in from me as a coach, but when he went out there, it was like he was the coach,” DeMasters said. “He was really like an assistant coach on the field, barking at everybody, but in a manner that everybody respected him at the same time.”
During his senior campaign at Oak Mountain, Louis limited opponents to minimal scoring opportunities and led his team to a fourth straight appearance in the AHSAA Class 6A state final.
Although the season didn’t end with a blue map in the school’s trophy case, DeMasters praised the sparkling play of his distinguished goalkeeper. Among other notable qualities, there was Louis’ elite shot-stopping ability, strength in the air and exemplary technical skills. But to DeMasters, nothing stood out more than one trait: his ownership of the box.
“Anytime the ball got in the back line, he was talking to his defenders, communicating to the team about where he wanted everybody just to put himself in a great position,” DeMasters said. “By setting everybody else up with his vocals, it just made his job easier as a goalkeeper.”
Since his days donning an OM uniform, Louis has continued to refine his game.
According to DeMasters — who has closely tracked Louis’ post-prep career — he’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster. Plus, he’s taken even more control of his box, he said.
West Alabama has reaped the results.
Awarded the starting job as a sophomore last fall, Louis helped propel the Tigers to a berth in the 2015 NCAA Division II soccer tournament.
It was their first appearance in program history.
Coming Home
With a season that runs from May through July, the National Premier Soccer League serves as a hotbed for college players looking to sharpen their skills in the summer months.
Many collegians have to travel to find a club, but not Louis.
When the Hammers formed an organized team last season, he said he knew it presented a prime opportunity.
“When you play college ball, you need to be able to find something in the summer to stay sharp,” Louis said. “Seeing shots every day in training and getting in game situations, you develop rapidly playing for a team like the Hammers.”
That the newly formed organization elected to join forces with his past club made the setup even sweeter.
In addition to his athletic involvement at Oak Mountain, Louis spent his senior year of high school playing for Vestavia Hills Soccer Club. The Hammers, coincidentally, have made their home at Sicard Hollow — a training base for VHSC.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “I definitely had memories at the field both with Vestavia and now with the Hammers. It’s a pretty cool homecoming.”
Given that Louis is one of four goalkeepers on the Hammers’ roster, playing time has come at a premium in 2016. Nevertheless, Louis has taken hold of the chances he’s been given.
In a position under constant scrutiny, he has continued to rise to the occasion.
The pressure, he said, does not faze him.
“You’ll get blamed at the worst of times, glory at the best of times,” Louis said. “There’s very rarely a gray area. It’s fun to be a part of that.”