Auburn Riverside soccer star Samiah Shell commits to UW
Samiah Shell didn’t have to look far to find a program that suited her for the next level. The Auburn Riverside High School soccer star announced her verbal commitment to the University of Washington on Monday in a social media post, jumping on the Huskies’ offer after taking an official visit to UW in late September.
“It’s always been one of my dream schools since I was little,” Shell said. “I’ve always been a Husky fan since I was little. It’s the hometown, Seattle. … The coaches are amazing, super kind and friendly. It just felt right. After doing my college searching, where else could I see myself at? Checking off the pros and cons, UW had it all.”
The Huskies were the lone school to extend a scholarship offer to the Ravens’ junior — at least as of now — though Shell said she was talking with other schools as well, including Gonzaga, Arizona, Utah and others.
Shell is a three-time first-team selection to The News Tribune’s All-Area teams, bursting onto the scene and scoring 17 goals and adding 27 assists as a freshman in 2019.
Despite a truncated season in 2020-21 because of the covid pandemic, Shell is the school’s all-time leader in career points (159) assists (45) and is tied for the career lead in goals (57, with 2022 graduate and teammate Kiana Gutierrez). Shell also holds single-season school records for points (71), goals (28) and assists (27). This fall, she scored a team-high 28 goals and had 15 assists for the Ravens, landing herself on the TNT’s All-Area team for the third time in her career.
In Shell, the Huskies are getting a dynamic playmaker who thrives in 1v1 situations.
“A kid that’s really talented and goal dangerous, but also has a really unselfish nature to her,” said Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis. “She’s not ever going to put herself above the team. It’s always going to be about team success. She’s explosive, dynamic — someone dangerous, but also is going to be one of the pieces of a bigger puzzle.”
Shell said she enjoyed the team’s camaraderie when she took her visit to Montlake in September.
“The team chemistry on and off the field is very strong,” she said. “I’m all about community, playing with amazing people. Just seeing that community helped influence my choice.”
On the field, Shell said she thinks UW’s attacking style of offense suits her skillset.
“Taking on players 1v1, it just suits me very well,” Shell said. “(UW head coach Nicole Van Dyke) said she sees me in the wide channels or as a 10 (attacking midfielder) or 9 (striker). But she likes me facing the goal. That made me really excited, knowing she was willing to put me in that position.”
Lewis said Shell’s footwork makes her a difficult matchup for defenders.
“She’s so comfortable on the ball, uses her body well, she’s explosive,” Lewis said. “Definitely, there’s not a kid that wants to defend her. … She has the ability to go either way.”
In practice, Lewis will sometimes ask his players to attempt to work a new move into their repertoire. It doesn’t take long for Shell to perfect them.
“Within a couple tries, she has it,” he said. “There’s never been another kid that’s had as good of footwork that I’ve had in my program before. She’s crafty. I think part of it, too, she’s not the tallest kid, but she has a low center of gravity.”
Shell, like most high school student-athletes going through the recruiting process, has felt stressed during certain points. Picking UW was a weight off her shoulders in more ways than one. Shell lost her mom, Jeannifer Chhang, in 2020. She died from a gunshot wound in October.
It’s been a difficult time, and Shell has been working through the grieving process after losing her mom.
“I think about her every day,” Shell said. “She was always about ‘Go Dawgs.’ She was such a big Husky fan. I know the decision I made, knowing that she loved UW, it just makes me feel at peace.
“I know she is so proud. I know she’s dancing up in heaven.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
