VCU soccer star Moussa Ndiaye is made for the moment

By Sian Wilkerson

Growing up, Moussa Ndiaye had a lot of catching up to do. With five older brothers and four older sisters, the Virginia Commonwealth University men's soccer star spent his childhood in his hometown in Senegal just trying to keep up.

Ndiaye, a fourth-year sociology major in the College of Humanities and Sciences who anchors the defense for the Rams, credits those years with shaping him into the player he is now, calling his family a "blessing." He was particularly close with his youngest older brother, who was born three years before him and served as a constant source of motivation.

"That's where I get my competitiveness," he said. "I grew up playing against him a lot in the house. And when you go to the field, it's the same thing."

When he came to VCU in 2022, Ndiaye didn't quite know what to expect. It was his first time leaving Senegal, and at the time, he spoke very little English. "I was only able to say 'yes' or 'no' and shake my head or point fingers when I wanted to say something," he recalled.

But with the Rams, he found "a new family," he said. "It was really easy to join the team … because they were really open with me and helped me through everything." His new teammates and coaches were patient and they listened. "Since then," he said, "I didn't regret anything" about his choice to come to Richmond.

Both on and off the field, it's been a seamless fit. In nearly four seasons with the Rams, Ndiaye has soared.

As a sophomore, he helped lead the Rams to an A-10 regular season championship, earning a first-team all-conference nod in the process. After his junior season, he was named Virginia Sports Information Directors Defensive Player of the Year as the top defender in the state.

In July, he was named Defender of the Year by USL League Two - a national semi-professional league - for his play as part of Vermont Green FC, which went undefeated on the way to championship title. Before this season, TopDrawerSoccer ranked Ndiaye as the 18th-best player in the country, and he was featured on the preseason all-A-10 team. In addition, he recently was honored as the conference's defensive player of the week in back-to-back weeks and scored the game-winner to lift the Rams over Davidson in the team's regular season finale.

"Each place he goes, he takes [advantage] of his opportunities - he learns, he grows and continues to develop as a person and as a player, and is very successful," said Dave Giffard, head coach of the VCU men's soccer team. "He has a lot of accolades on the field and continues to perform and show why those accolades are there."

After four years together, Ndiaye and Giffard's bond is strong. In the spring, Giffard made a recruiting trip to Africa, where he stopped in Senegal to meet Ndiaye's family and have dinner at his home, a gesture that greatly touched Ndiaye.

"It's something that really hits me because I've been playing around coaches for a long, long time, and none of them did that for me," he said, crediting Giffard for his guidance both on and off the field. "He didn't just teach me about soccer; he taught me as a person, as a human being, and to grow as a man, too."

While Ndiaye's time at VCU is coming to an end, he said that what he'll take away is the knowledge that it was "all about love. Highs, lows, teammates, friends, family - just love. One day, Giffard can be pissed at you for one second. And after another second, he will tell you, 'Guys, I just love you guys,' and it just hits you hard because you know what he's doing is not for him, but for us."

When he graduates, Ndiaye intends to play professionally. Where that will take him, he doesn't know. But once that chapter in his story ends, he'd like to get into coaching - like Giffard.

Already, he keeps the important coach-isms on his phone: Keep your highs low and your lows high, meaning "it's a long journey - not just a sprint, but a marathon," he explained. "So you're going to have ups and downs but you're going to have to fight through."