Each year a handful of athletes try to defy the odds and make a university team as a walk-on, and those who succeed face the added challenge of earning the respect of their highly-recruited teammates.
One Saskatchewan Huskies soccer player has done just that, all while his family is half a world away.
Ekior-Dourde Mieyefa came to the University of Saskatchewan from Nigeria in 2015 to study physiology and pharmacology.
Two years later, a friend’s encouragement and a lifelong love of soccer led him to tryout with the Huskies.
“I just showed up. I played first day and I was so sore but coach didn’t say a word to me, just told me to come back the next day,” Mieyefa said.
Despite having no formal playing experience, Mieyefa’s raw talent and tireless work ethic were enough to earn a spot on the team. Now he’s pushing for a starting role.
“He’s just a humble young person and he wants to learn, he wants to get better, and those are the characteristics we try to build teams around,” said Huskies head coach Bryce Chapman.
“So from last year to this year he’s grown a huge amount.”
Mieyefa believes he is a better player than when he first tried out for the team, and is ready to prove that on the pitch.
“I’m way better off, like I’ve improved a lot. Personally I know that, so hopefully we’ll see come first game,” Mieyefa said.
And, he felt he’s part of something bigger than himself.
“I’m part of something. I’m part of the university, part of the city. I go places, people say hi to me. So it’s good, it feels really good.”
No matter where he fits into the lineup, Mieyefa has certainly fit in. School may have brought him to Canada, but the huskies have given him a community.