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University of West Alabama

UWA Athletics
 Station 5 Livingston, AL 35470
Division 2 Alabama Southeast
Public Small Competitive team
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Ross Nelson

Ross Nelson was named head coach for men’s soccer at the University of West Alabama on January 28, 2019.


“Words simply cannot describe the gratitude that I am feeling at this moment in time,” Nelson said. “I honestly am extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to lead this great program.


“I would like to personally thank our Athletic Director Bobby Wallace and all the administration for putting their faith in me,” Nelson said. “There is a history of much success within UWA men’s soccer and I plan to continue this and consistently compete at the national level.”


Nelson served the last three seasons as assistant coach to Matthew Thorne, who recently left West Alabama to assume the head coaching position for men’s soccer at Auburn-Montgomery.


“Ross has played an integral part of our success over the last three years,” Wallace said. “After reviewing the credentials of several good applicants, we believe the best way to continue the success we have enjoyed was to promote Ross and give him the opportunity to continue to make us better.”


The 2022 season saw one of the best defensive teams since the program's inception in 2012. Allowing just 11 goals in 16 matches, opposing teams were only able to muster 9.6 shots per contest against the UWA defense.


Nelson helped guide UWA to Gulf South Conference championships in 2016 and 2017, including both regular season and tournament championships in 2017. Over his three seasons as an assistant to Thorne, UWA compiled a 34-17-5 record with postseason appearances in each of those years.


“Ross has been an essential component to the men’s soccer program’s preparation, strength and conditioning, scouting and recruiting since coming on board at West Alabama,” Wallace said. “We are certain he is ready to take on a bigger role and be successful.”


Prior to coming to West Alabama, Nelson served on the coaching staff at Tennessee Wesleyan, where he was also an all-conference player and team captain while leading the Bulldogs to an Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season title in 2013.


Nelson was also an all-conference performer and captain in junior college at Georgia Perimeter. He has also played semi-pro for Ballymena United Football Club in Northern Ireland.


Coming to the United States after finishing high school at Larne in Northern Ireland, Nelson has earned an AS Degree in exercise science from Georgia Perimeter, a BS in Exercise Science from Tennessee Wesleyan and a MS in Physical Education from West Alabama.


Nelson and his wife Louise reside in Livingston, and they have a son, Callum.

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Harrison Roberts

Harrison Roberts enters his fifth season with the West Alabama men's soccer program as an assistant men's coach.


During his time as a coach with UWA, Roberts has been a part of three postseason appearances and has coached six All-Conference selections.


Along with his time with UWA, he also serves as an assistant coach with the South Carolina United Bantams in the USL League Two since 2017. During the summer of 2023, the program reached the national tournament after a 10-1-1 overall record. A member of the 2021 South Division Championship, he has coached 10 current professional players.


Roberts' playing career saw him play for the S.C. United Bantams, where he was a top-40 player in USL League Two in 2019 en route to a selection to the All-Southern Conference Team.


A former student-athlete at West Alabama, he played in 75 career matches for the Tigers, tallying 40 points on 12 goals and 16 assists. He was a part of three All-GSC teams and was named to the GSC All-Tournament team twice. Additionally, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2015 tournament his freshman year.


He was honored by the GSC in 2020 to the All-Decade Second Team for the best soccer players in the league during the 2010s.


A member of three conference championships and two regular season titles, he was a part of the first two NCAA Championship appearances in program history and the first tournament win in 2017, defeating Tampa 5-1.


He came to UWA after playing at the professional academies at Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Morcambe, where he was a part of the reserve team for the U-23 program.


He holds a UEFA C and USSF C Licenses and earned an advanced goalkeeping diploma from the United Soccer Coaches. In addition, he achieved a Level 3 B-Tech Diploma in Sport & Coaching from Lancaster and Morcambe College in the United Kingdom.


Roberts earned a Bachelor of Arts in sports management from West Alabama in 2019 and a master's degree in the same field in 2021.

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Ollie Harrison

Volunteer Assistant Men's Soccer Coach

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