NAIA Walk-On to Professional Goalkeeper: The Story of Samantha Castaneda
3/14/2024 2:09:00 PM | Women's Soccer
"All these dreams I had of playing with my children, walking down the aisle, walking across the stage for graduation, all of these things are going to change now."
That was the thought running through Samantha Castaneda's mind prior to her sophomore year of high school.
Safe to say those thoughts had altered for the better when she signed a professional soccer contract in March 2024.
This came nearly a decade after being bound to a wheelchair as a result of a life-changing injury.
One day during the soccer player's training, Castaneda and her team were doing yoga for a recovery session. Her instructor urged her to push a little deeper into a stretch and she felt something pop. Pain shot through her hips and back and before long, she was unable to walk.
"That was a really low point in my life," Castaneda said.
She had so much curvature in her spine that it was crushing her spinal nerves.
The Castaneda family did what any family would do in that moment: look for a way… ANY way … to fix their daughter.
The moment Castaneda and her family visited a chiropractor in South Bend, things started to change for the better.
"I instantly felt so much relief," Castaneda said. "I knew then that I was going to be okay, it was just going to take some time."
It was a start, but there was a long journey ahead. She continued to visit the chiropractor, went to physical therapy and taught herself how to walk again. She had to almost entirely rebuild the muscles in her legs and back she had lost while in her wheelchair.
She missed the first few weeks of school while spending time in the hospital and the soccer season at Penn High School was clearly out of the picture.
"Luckily, I had a really good support system with my parents, who were willing to drop everything to take care of me," Castaneda said.
Not only her parents, but the friends around her helped lift her up.
"I'm very fortunate that things played out the way they did, that I had parents that would not stop until they found an answer, to take me wherever I needed to go, that I had friends to hold my books and push me around," Castaneda said. "I never felt alone. I didn't have time to because I had so many people around me loving on me.
"It changed the way I viewed things in people. I don't think people understand the struggles of those with disabilities or those that aren't able to move like others. It made me an advocate and just being a little bit more compassionate. That experience helped put me in other peoples' shoes. That experience really changed my life."
She progressed from wheelchair to crutches, then to just one crutch, and was eventually able to walk entirely on her own. After seven months of recovery, Castaneda finally made her way back to the soccer field. She chose not to play competitively at Penn for a multitude of reasons, but the foremost of which was falling out of love with the game.
It did not stay that way.
Despite not having played high school soccer since she was a freshman, when Castaneda transferred to Homestead High School, it seemed as good a time as any to reignite that love for the game.
Homestead needed a keeper, but Castaneda was not a keeper by trade. She had spent the better part of the decade prior playing defender. But she didn't care.
"I just wanted to have fun again," Castaneda said. "I didn't care what was going to happen that season. I didn't care was going to happen after. I just wanted to fall in love with the game again. I couldn't live without it."
Homestead was the state runner-up with a senior Castaneda between the sticks.
She was not heavily recruited coming out of high school, but she had a connection and a path to college soccer.
Her sister, Ali, was on Indiana Wesleyan's squad, a team that had gone 10-7-1 the year before. On February 17, 2019, Indiana Wesleyan announced that Castaneda would be joining her sister as a Wildcat as a walk-on goalkeeper.
"I loved what Indiana Wesleyan was doing with their program, not only their soccer program but how they developed people and their culture as well," Castaneda said.
Castaneda had only been playing goalkeeper competitively for about a year, but she was determined to be successful as a keeper.
"That summer, I was up at five in the morning at any patch of grass with a goal just going out there and training," Castaneda said. "I was doing a lot of catch-up. It's a different type of fitness level, it's a different type of positioning required, a different level of mentality needed to be in between the sticks there."
Playing with her sister was the perfect stepping stone as Castaneda transitioned to college.
"It was good to wrap up that chapter of our lives," Castaneda said. "She was wrapping up her collegiate career and I was just starting mine. We didn't get the chance to play together in high school, so it was nice to get that.We had this unspoken connection and bond on the field where I didn't have to know where she was on the field. She would be where she needed be for me to pass it to her."
In her freshman season, Castaneda had more success than most have in a career. She helped IWU to a 19-3-2 record and led the Wildcats to the NAIA National Championships quarterfinal for the first time in program history.
"First time in program history" could be the mantra of Castaneda's career. But we'll get back to that.
The hard work was starting to pay off, as Castaneda's historical run with IWU ticked a box in her mind.
"That showed that if I worked really hard, I could put myself in positions to succeed," Castaneda said. "Whether things go my way or not, I can walk away knowing I tried my hardest."
The following year, Castaneda made the decision to transfer to Purdue Fort Wayne for academics and to return to her home city. A quick call to head coach Jason Burr later, Castaneda was trying out for the Mastodons.
She went into the tryout with the mindset of "I'm just going to play." She did so, and earned a spot on the team, even despite wearing her bright red Indiana Wesleyan shorts to try out for the gold and black Mastodons.
Once again, Castaneda was offered a walk-on spot.
"I knew the step from NAIA to Division I was going to be a whole other challenge," Castaneda said. "But I knew I would be able to hang on the soccer field. I have a good soccer IQ and I get along with quite a few people. Everybody here is just bigger, faster and stronger."
In her first season at Purdue Fort Wayne, she played in two matches in the spring of 2021, the dubbed "COVID Season." She came off the bench behind a fifth-year who had started 31 games over the prior two seasons for the Mastodons.
Steadily improving from her first season back in her hometown, two years later as a true senior, Castaneda was apart of the best season in program history.
On September 9, 2022, Castaneda was thrust into the national spotlight.
In a road game at Valparaiso, the Mastodons led 1-nil late in the game despite being outshot 27-5. A late foul call put that in jeopardy as the officials awarded Valparaiso with a penalty kick with no time left on the clock. Castaneda stood one-on-one with Kelsie James and smothered the PK with a diving save to her right side. Castaneda punted the ball out of the box moments before her team swarmed her to celebrate the win.
A few days later, she was the first Mastodon ever to be selected for the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
"I'll always love that Valpo game," Castaneda said. "That was really a bounce-back game for me."
True. The Mastodons had suffered a 2-1 loss at Southern Illinois five days earlier.
"I could be down in the dumps, I could say that I suck, but I just decided to get back to work," Castaneda said. "I told [goalkeeper coach Josh Routte] that we'll have our match day minus one, so that'll be a little lighter, but I wanna work all week.
"The Valpo game helped me realize that you confidence can take a hit, but you're going to be okay."
A little over a month later, Castaneda and the Mastodons finished the regular season as the Horizon League runners-up.
In the Purdue Fort Wayne weight room on October 28, 2022, the team huddled around a phone to read the All-League awards.
The voice of then-sophomore Bella Reitano read: Second Team - Lizzie Haub and Morgan Reitano. First Team - Gabrielle Fanning and Samantha Castaneda. Coach of the Year - Jason Burr.
The team erupted in celebration.
And finally…
Goalkeeper of the Year - Samantha Castaneda.
An even louder cheer burst through the halls of the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
"It was a nice sense of relief and a very special moment to have that and celebrate it with my team and it's something I hold really dear to my heart." Castaneda said. "I'm my own toughest critic. I always feel like I'm not where everybody else is and that I can't hang. When I got that award I felt like I could hang and I was where other people were."
She had her moment. But just a short one before she said "let's finish our lift and look ahead to the tournament."
The January following her senior season, Castaneda attended a pro day in Kentucky. She got feedback that it would be beneficial for her to return to school and work on the details of her game.
"I tell myself every day I have to do something to get better," Castaneda said. "Whether it be active recovery to take care of my body, or do my physical therapy, or be out on the field physically working or studying film… Every day I have to do something because that little anxious part of me knows that other people are out there working and getting better."
The following summer, Castaneda played for Racing Louisville FC's W-League team over the summer.
A year later, the chance to play professionally became a reality.
In March of 2024, Castaneda signed a contract to play professional soccer for Medyk Konin in Poland.
She had joined the family business. Her dad played college and semipro and grandpas on both sides played professionally in Peru.
"I'm super excited to be joining a club with such a rich history," Castaneda said. "It's been my childhood dream to play professional soccer and no words can express how grateful I am. I'm very fortunately to have spent four years at Purdue Fort Wayne and train in a competitive environment to prepare. I'm looking forward to developing my game and learning from the players and coaches at Medyk."
Castaneda became the third Mastodon in program history to play professional soccer when she signed her contract.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
