Impressive pitch
Shariff-Hassan’s long journey to UML
Abdi Shariff-Hassan didn’t start for the UMass-Lowell men’s soccer team Friday night at Boston University. In fact, the sophomore has yet to start a game for the River Hawks.
Three years removed from receiving more high school accolades than almost any soccer player in Maine history, ShariffHassan could be frustrated. But he’s not.
As much as he was accustomed to being a star player, he’s also used to overcoming adversity far greater than playing time.
“What he’s gone through, I can’t even begin to imagine,” River Hawks coach Christian Figueroa said.
Shariff-Hassan’s journey began in war-torn Somalia. He and his family fled to Kenya, and then emigrated to the United States, first living in Kentucky before moving to Lewiston, Maine, in 2007. There, he joined thousands of other new Americans who, through the millennium’s first decade, populated what had been a suffering northern New England mill city.
He and his family became part of a vibrant immigrant population that brought, among many other things, a love of soccer to an area known for its passion for hockey pucks.
Refugees in Lewiston faced pushback from a vocal minority — something that, 17 years after the first group of Somalis relocated there, still dogs the city’s approximately 7,000 immigrants. Twice in 10 years, the city’s sitting mayor spoke out against immigrants, one asking them to stop coming and another saying they should “leave their culture at the door.” A frozen pig head was once rolled into a mosque, while a Lewiston Middle School student threw a ham sandwich at some Muslim students.
But Shariff-Hassan and his family persevered. He befriended several others in his immigrant community, as well as many natives. Mostly, the common bond was soccer.
Together, Shariff-Hassan and others in his grade turned heads at every level, but his senior season at Lewiston High in 2015 became the stuff of legend.
Players from six different countries made the varsity roster that season, one that began with
heightened expectations after a trip to the 2014 state final. On a mission from the get-go, the Blue Devils went 14-0 in the regular season, with Shariff-Hassan leading the team offensively.
In the playoffs, Lewiston roared through three foes by a combined 13-0 score to return to the state final, to again face Scarborough. In the rematch, racial epithets — though far fewer than the year before — stung Lewiston players’ ears as they dribbled near the stands. This time, though, Shariff-Hassan and his teammates remained focused and pulled out a 1-0 victory.
For one day, all of Shariff-Hassan’s worries and troubles, all of his and his teammates’ struggles to survive, were overshadowed by championship bliss. They were stars, but Shariff-Hassan’s next step wasn’t quite so starstudded.
He spent a year at the Kent School in Connecticut, hoping to draw attention from Division 1 programs while getting his academics in line. Ultimately, he chose UMass-Lowell, and the new school and new system have presented even more challenges.
“It’s different, because there’s a lot of talent here,” Shariff-Hassan said. “There are a lot of good players.”
“It can be kind of a shock when you’re no longer the top scorer,” Figueroa added. “They get shifted and play a new position because it’s where they’re more effective at this level.”
As a freshman, Shariff-Hassan made just eight appearances for the River Hawks and registered only one shot on goal. But he persevered, and made an impression on his coach.
“Abdi has really bought into that and he’s comfortable wherever he can help the team the most, and he’s really embraced it, and that shows a lot of character,” Figueroa said.
Shariff-Hassan has already seen 120 minutes in three matches this season, which has him trending to more playing time in the coming weeks.
On Friday night, he entered in the 35th minute and looked to make some noise. He did in the 86th minute, with his team already leading 2-0, when he drove into the middle from the right side, across the top of the 18-yard box, and was tripped while attempting a shot, drawing a yellow card and a direct kick.
“He’s not a flashy player,” Figueroa said. “He’s a confident player, but he’s not one to put himself over the team, so that’s really helped him embrace what’s being asked of him. He’s a guy at this level, with our group and the way we play, really does fit in.”
“Fitting in” is nice, of course, but given his track record, it likely won’t be long before he’s the one frustrating opponents and leading the River Hawks on the pitch.
‘What he’s gone through, I can’t even begin to imagine.’ — CHRISTIAN FIGUEROA, UMass-Lowell soccer coach, on Abdi Shariff-Hassan