From South Sudan to Virginia, Eliuda delivers for George Mason

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Growing up in Juba, South Sudan, James Eliuda knew nothing about America and never thought about picking up all his things and leaving his hometown.

This past season, James Eliuda has solidified himself as an integral piece to the best season George Mason's soccer program has had since joining the A-10 conference. Photo by Art Pittman/Mason Athletics

"I was just playing soccer, having fun, living with family … everything happened so fast," he said.

In South Sudan, Eliuda lived with his mother and eight siblings and proved at an early age to be leaps and bounds ahead of his hometown's competition. Most soccer players in South Sudan have few opportunities to grow and showcase their talents and skills. Eliuda is the exception to this rule.

Playing at Future Stars Academy in Juba and graduating from Juba Diocesan Secondary School at just 15 years old, Eliuda was afforded the opportunity to train with South Sudan in the under 15 and under 17 competitions.

After impressing the head coach, he and a few others were invited to train with South Sudan's first division team, and Eliuda was soon training with a professional team in Kenya.

After three months of valuable training, as well as plans to travel to Dubai that fell through, Eliuda decided to make the drastic move to the United States to continue his soccer journey at DME Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Although grateful and excited for with the opportunity to play high-level soccer in the United States, Eliuda had to adjust to being a student-athlete and living in an new environment, thousands of miles away from his family.

Future Stars Academy in Juba, South Sudan. Photo provided

"Everything was different: the weather-in my country it is always hot-and I was tired when I came here. We used to write on blackboards back home, but when I went to DME, they gave me a computer [that] took me almost one month to learn," he said.

This is where George Mason University men's soccer head coach Rich Costanzo saw Eliuda on the pitch and knew he was the right fit to bring to George Mason.

"You could see how much quality he had, but how much more potential he has to give. I could tell he was a good player," said Costanzo. "Everything I heard about the type of person he was, I knew he'd be someone we'd want to work with and someone who'd be receptive to becoming a better player."

"No one talked to me about how I played and how they wanted me to play for their team, so when he said that to me, I was like 'this guy believes in me,' so if I go there, I'm going to believe in myself even more that I'm a good player," said Eliuda.

As a freshman, his dreams were put on hold when Eliuda was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for much of the Patriots' season in fall 2023. He already had a year of eligibility stripped due to his two-year absence from traditional schooling before DME Academy, bringing his NCAA eligibility years down to three.

"We had to do waivers and petitions, and he is still entering college at 18 like everyone else. It took all year," said Costanzo. "Every time I'd ask him [how he was doing] he'd say to just trust in God, and we're going to get there."

After a hard-fought battle with the NCAA, Eliuda was permitted to play the remaining five games of the season and also granted all four years of eligibility.

"We cried when we got approved. It was a real blessing, for him, for us, for everything," said Costanzo.

Eliuda's time finally came in October 2023 against the University of Dayton. Since coming off the bench in the middle of the first half of that game, he has started every game. He scored his very first goal for George Mason in the next game against Radford, which the Patriots won 7-0.

This past season, Eliuda has solidified himself as an integral piece to the best season George Mason's soccer program has had since joining the A-10 conference. He scored two goals and tied for second in the club in assists this season, helping the Patriots win their first-ever A-10 regular season championship with 13 wins. He was also named Second Team All-Conference for the midfield position.

"I never thought of the personal accolades," said Eliuda. "Our goal is to win."

Although he is a proven and dedicated athlete, Eliuda is a student first and foremost. His phenomenal academic track record can be traced all the way back to his formative years in South Sudan. He received the 2023-24 A-10 Commissioner Honor Roll distinction for his academic performance in his first year at George Mason. He plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in sport management.

Outside of class and on the pitch, Eliuda can almost always be found at the George Mason Field House working out, getting treatment, and being a social butterfly.

"The first thing you notice when you speak to James is his smile, he's always talking and smiling," said George Mason basketball player Chase Tucker.

Although George Mason has embraced Eliuda as one of their own, his heart will always be with his family in Sudan, who he hasn't seen since he came to the United States. "It's so hard because the time difference," he said, "I'm sleeping when they're waking up."

Despite his homesickness, Costanzo and the George Mason faculty have helped Eliuda navigate life in Virginia and feel at home.

"There's a lot I can say about [Costanzo] … not playing all last season, that was the toughest moment, and I give credit to him the most … he's taken [me in] like a son," Eliuda said, expressing his gratitude.

"We use the term Kaizen-we try to get better a little bit every day, and [Eliuda] embodies that," said Costanzo. "At his core, he's a winner, whatever he does he's going to be great."