By Sofia Puga

Game pressure is essential for Arizona Western men's soccer goalkeeper Ndawavya Samson, who believes performance allows you to be your best on the field.

"I love the game pressure, I love the adrenaline rush I get when it's time for games because I feel like that's when I can perform to my highest, " Ndwayva Samson said. "When there is no pressure, you basically cannot perform to your fullest capabilities."

Originally from Tanzania, Samson discovered his love for soccer while playing pick-up games as a child. Samson says everyone he played with wanted to be a striker or mid-fielder, not a goalkeeper. He decided to try the position no one else wanted and he soon became invested as he kept blocking goals.

"This could be my calling," Samson said. "Stopping people from having fun." 

Before arriving at Arizona Western College, Samson's goal was to play professionally, that dream almost became a reality. 

"I played in my home country, for a team called the Black Stars, I was part of the youth academy for the professional team." Samson said. "I played with them for a bit until I got injured, I got my clavicle fractured, and I was out for the season." 

Once he recovered from his injury, Samson opted to play college soccer.

"I chose AWC because I thought they had a really good soccer program," Samson said. "The time I chose them, they were ranked fifth or sixth in the country, so I thought I could fit into this program and add something to the team to hopefully win championships. I thought AWC could be a community for me that I could really fit in, and show the world that I'm capable of achieving greater things."

Through soccer, Samson has traveled often and crossed paths with people from many different backgrounds. However, he pointed out a major difference between playing in his home country and here at Arizona Western, is the support from the community.

"Coming out here, I wasn't expecting too much," Samson said. "People buy into sports here more compared to my country. They're way more invested even in school teams, you have a whole crowd of people coming to support compared to back home. Even third, fourth division teams don't get as much fans as college teams I see out here."

Having that support has made Ndawavya feel like he's made a big leap from where he started.

Outside of soccer, Samson is a fan of the outdoors. He doesn't like to stay idle and tries to stay active when he is not practicing or at the gym. He likes to hike Telegraph Pass on an off day or play basketball with friends. 

Samson is a Business Administration major, with plans to transfer into Marketing. He is aiming for a master's degree one day and to eventually have his own clothing brand business. 

Once he has his business, he wants to use the money to become a coach and put the funds towards soccer teams in Tanzania. His goal is to give other aspiring players opportunities to go and play elsewhere, just as he did.  

From his own experiences on his soccer journey, Samson emphasized the importance of seeing things through.

"If you see the road is narrow, and you feel like you're not going to be able to reach a specific target," Samson said. "Just know that's the time for you to keep pushing."

Ndawavya and the Matadors men's soccer team are currently working through their spring exhibition season with games scheduled through mid-April before the next season gets underway next fall.