Sophomore forward Aminah Baruwa is making her mark on Lehigh’s women’s soccer team, driven by her culture and passion for the game.
On Oct. 26, Baruwa scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Loyola.
She said the win was a team effort, and everybody on the team contributed to her goal.
“It felt really nice to score a game-winning goal like that and to be able to help my team as much as I can,” Baruwa said. “My role as a forward is to score, and to prove to myself that I am able to do that really boosts my confidence.”
Being from Easton, Pennsylvania, Baruwa said she appreciates being close to home and that her family is always in the stands at her games.
“I chose to play soccer at Lehigh because I wanted to play in a high soccer environment while also getting one of the best educations I could,” Baruwa said.
Following in her parents footsteps, Baruwa began playing soccer around the age of 5. She said her culture has played a big role in her approach to the sport as both of her parents are Nigerian immigrants.
She said the sport has always been a part of her life and culture.
“I think being American-born but raised in an African culture has pushed me to be better and work harder,” Baruwa said.
Baruwa said her parents are her biggest inspirations and she attributes her success to them, especially because they’ve always worked hard to allow her to be the best she can be.
Senior midfielder and forward Zoe Schutter said Baruwa is determined to always do her best and grow as a player.
“We know that we can always count on her, and she is always willing to critique herself and ask for feedback from her teammates,” Schutter said.
In games when the team might be losing, Schutter said Baruwa is eager to score and willing to work with the team to achieve that.
Sophomore forward Cyndea Labissiere said Baruwa consistently brings energy, passion and positivity to the team.
She also said Baruwa regularly creates scoring opportunities.
“When we are down in a game, she has the ability to turn our team around,” Labissiere said. “(She brings) that energy on and off the field, which makes a huge impact for our team.”
Right before the COVID pandemic, Baruwa joined Players Development Academy, a competitive soccer club, and said this was when she began to take soccer more seriously.
She said she practiced every day, and since many of the players were better than her, she was pushed to work harder. She said she did this so she could one day be recruited to play in college.
Labissiere said Baruwa is an extremely talented player, and she has learned a lot from her as they both play the same position.
“She is probably one of the fastest players in the Patriot League,” Labissiere said. “Her ability to just turn people and use her speed is really great to watch and play with.”
Baruwa said being a Mountain Hawk has given her a family for life.
“My closest friends are on the team, and being part of this community pushes me to be 1% better than I already can be,” Baruwa said.
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