Ndubueze has led his team on the field all year, but he continues to learn valuable lessons off the pitch
It is no secret how good Azusa Pacific’s men’s soccer team has been this season. After an 11-0 start to the season and a number one ranking in NCAA Division II, the Cougars look to replicate their success in 2018 where they won the PacWest Conference and reached the semifinals of the DII tournament. One critical component that has been constant throughout these two seasons has been the play of captain James Ndubueze.
In 2018, Ndubueze was named to the PacWest First Team after scoring 10 goals and tallying three assists in his first year with the program coming in as a transfer student. This season has been just as phenomenal for the midfielder, as he leads the team with nine goals and 19 shots on goal in only 11 games this season.
Nevertheless, his passion for soccer goes much deeper than with his tenure with the Cougars. In fact, it all started in his hometown of Paderborn, Germany.
Ndubueze grew up through playing soccer. He began dribbling the ball at the young age of three. When he was 10, he joined an academy in Germany, one that was incredibly challenging and tested his patience tremendously. It was here where he learned about the competitive spirit behind his favorite sport.
“I went through the highs and lows when participating in the academy. There were times when I was playing very strong and receiving a lot of praise, but I also was sent to the bench for a whole year,” said Ndubueze. “It taught me to work hard, compete and never give up. And I’ve been able to teach these lessons to the young guys who have come into this program.”
Although his athletic experience in his home country was a humbling one, he was eager to play at a different level in a different environment. He decided to move to the U.S. and play competitive soccer here. Ndubueze quickly noticed the differences in preparation.
“The tactics to the game here are completely different,” he said. “The differences in being taught how to press or how to defend from a technical approach are major. Here it is more a physical mindset and mentality that influences the play. It’s been a shift for sure.”
He was awarded a scholarship to play for the University of Montevallo in Alabama. However, Ndubueze was slowed down from an ACL tear that required surgery. His coach had lost faith in his play, and decided to help him transfer to a different school. This is when Ndubueze’s understanding of collegiate soccer transitioned.
Through the process of finding a new home, he discovered the amount of options that were available to him. He eventually transferred to a community college in hopes of receiving an offer from a DI or DII program later on. After a lengthy process in which Ndubueze was forced to email dozens of junior college programs in the country with little to no success, he was given a scholarship to play for Cloud County Community College in Junction City, Kansas.
Although it was only seen as a step towards the ultimate goal of playing NCAA soccer once again, Ndubueze found incredible success for their program. He earned all-conference and all-regional honors after leading his team to a NJCAA Plains District Championship. The Thunderbirds eventually lost in the national championship tournament pool play after making it to the semifinals, and were ranked fifth in the entire nation in their division.
It was a humbling experience for Ndubueze in which he found great success playing under head coach James Ross, but he wanted a bigger challenge and desired to play more competitive soccer. He was eventually introduced to APU through the assistant coach Andriy Budnyy who watched Ndubueze compete in the regional tournament, and Budnyy invited him to tour the campus.
“In Kansas you drive two/three hours either way and there’s nothing,” said Ndubueze. “So when I got to California it was a shock. The palm trees, the good weather, the size of the campus. Everyone was just so nice. It was all such a culture shock.”
Although his impression of APU was strong, there was still a major concern for him. He had dedicated so much of his time and sacrificed so much from his personal life that he was eager to play for a DI program. However, after personal consideration, discussions with his family and prayer, Ndubueze decided to make APU his new home.
“When I met the team they just felt like my brothers from the beginning. There was just a gut feeling when I practiced with them. So despite my dream of playing for a DI program, I began praying about it and God called me to Azusa,” he said.
Thankfully for the school, Ndubueze was completely dedicated to advancing the soccer program further. He not only meshed perfectly with what the Cougars were looking for on the field, but he also connected with the team tremendously, and together they all built a brotherhood. The personal connection between this squad was reciprocated by their play on the field.
A successful 2018 season in which the team took major steps forward allowed for this team to expand even further in 2019. The 11-0 start and a number one ranking in the nation is a perfect start, but Ndubueze realizes that this is just the beginning.
“Everybody here knows that we are a good team, but we also know that we haven’t reached our fullest potential,” Ndubueze said. “Whether it’s the second team, the first team or reserve, every single member of this team is putting in hard work and is committed to getting better week after week. And this philosophy is ultimately leading to a strong chemistry on the pitch.”
When asked about what he wants to remember once his time at APU concludes, Ndubueze said he wants to reminisce on the triumphs this team achieved. The loss in the semifinals last campaign continues to influence this team to execute better and better each match and strive for their ultimate goal of a division title. Despite this, what is most memorable for him is the beautiful bond that he has had with his team.
“I want to be connected to this team once I graduate, and I want to be a proud alumni who looks back on the team I played on and be proud of the memories we created as a brotherhood,” said Ndubueze. “I want people to remember this team in 10 years as one of the best in program history. It all ends with winning nationals, and I want to look at the ring we get and reflect on the sacrifices I made throughout my life to get here.”