Argentina has produced three World Cup champions — including the most recent in 2022 — along with Diego Maradonna, one of international soccer’s greatest superstars.
On a local level, the country has also played a small part in producing a solid starting center-back on Notre Dame High’s successful 2024 boys soccer team.
Lawrence Township resident Felipe Samuel, a sophomore defender for an Irish team that made a startling run to the South Jersey Non-Public A championship game, is the son of Argentinian immigrant Diego Samuel.
Diego learned the game in his homeland before moving to America at age 11. He played high school soccer for Hunterdon Central and then walked on to play for Lehigh University. With soccer in his blood, it was a talent he obviously wanted to pass on to his children, which include Felipe and five sisters.
“Soccer was really a big part of his life,” Samuel said. “Down in South America it’s a big part of all their lives. My dad gave me a ball when I was about four and I started playing in the driveway.”
Asked what kind of influence Diego was on his career, Felipe said “Pretty much everything.”
From the driveway, Samuel moved on to rec and travel ball for the Lawrence Hamnetts before joining his current NLSA club at age 10.
An attacking midfielder for most of his career, Samuel was moved to the back by the Irish coaching staff as a freshman. After seeing limited varsity time last year, he was thrust into the starting center-back spot at the beginning of this season when Luigi Barricelli was injured.
What could have been a problem became a positive as Samuel and freshman Cayden O’Rourke provided stellar central defending for the Irish, who upset 3rd-seeded CBA and 2nd-seeded St. Augustine en route to the sectional final.
“He’s been a force back there, I would probably tab him as our unsung hero of the year,” Notre Dame coach Bryan Fisher said. “He’s been tremendous, especially in our bigger games. Felipe has been doing the work back there, winning headballs and possessing when he needs to. He played almost every minute of our 26 games. He’s really been great.”
The plan was not for him to be great this year, but to still be a key part of the team as maybe a top reserve off the bench.
“He got a little bit of time last year, knowing he would be a pivotal younger player for us this year,” Fisher said. “We had a couple injuries early in the year that allowed him to start the year off at center back and he’s never relinquished the job. He’s a smart, intelligent player; a super nice kid and a great teammate.”
When first inserted as a starter, Samuel figured he was just a stop-gap measure. But he proved too good to take out of the lineup.
“I thought I was just here to fill in and I wanted to do the best job I could and maybe get some more playing time while he was injured,” Samuel said. “I’m super grateful to the coaches for trusting me.”
They showed their trust in his versatility by pushing him to the back in ninth grade. He made the JV team and showed enough to get a taste of varsity.
“Halfway through the season we brought him up to be on the varsity roster,” Fisher said. “He got minimal minutes. He was just there to experience it and see what that level was. Thank goodness I have a great coaching staff that decided to give him a shot as a freshman because it’s really paid off for us.”
In playing his first varsity game, Samuel ‑said, “I was nervous, and I was just really happy to be in the game and not make a mistake. It’s definitely a higher level than club, it was tough last year.”
He prepared to get increased playing time over the summer when he and some friends trained together at the Lawrence Swimming Association.
“I was really working hard there,” he said. “I thought I had a pretty good tryout. I didn’t expect to play all that much, but I was ready for some real playing time when it came.”
Although Samuel played defense last year, Fisher was unsure if he would play him at midfield or in the back. The question answered itself when Barricelli got injured.
“We didn’t have a choice but to put him back there, and he’s done really well,” the coach said.
It wasn’t the easiest of transitions, as Samuel enjoyed the freedom of being in the attacking third and finding the back of the net. But he knew it was the quickest route to playing time.
“I love to go up and score goals but I definitely recognize the need to defend the goal,” he said. “At the beginning of the season it was a little hard to stay back and be patient. But I appreciate the time on the field.
“I played with Jayce Palumbo, he really helped me turn into more of a defensive player over the past month and a half. He’s a big influence back there.”
Samuel felt it took about midway through the season to get comfortable in his new role.
“You have to have a lot of confidence in handling the ball and be consistent, you can’t make mistakes,” he said. “There’s a little more pressure back there.”
One of the main reasons Samuel and O’Rourke are at center mid is that both stand above 6-feet and are adept at winning headballs, which is extremely valuable on opposition’s restarts and corner kicks. Samuel is also adept at stopping balls on the ground.
“I think he’s a good one-v-one defender,” Fisher said. “He’s got a real composure to him for a young kid. He doesn’t look rattled back there. He’s calm on the ball. He makes really good decisions with the ball and allows us to possess out of the back, which a lot of high school teams can’t do.
“He’s just been a surprise; really unsung. He’s quiet, he just does his job, he has the lunch pail mentality. Come to work, do your job.”
Fisher praised his play in the season’s most pressurized victories against CBA and St. Augustine. He actually converted the winning penalty kick in a shootout win over the Hermits.
“Those games were big moments and he met the moments,” Fisher said. “It was great to see him excel in that kind of atmosphere in the state tournament.”
Despite losing to top-seeded Pingry in the sectional final, it was a stirring run for the Irish.
“We played really well,” Samuel said. “I just wanted to win so our seniors wouldn’t have their last games.”
With soccer season over, the 6-2 Samuel is going out for basketball after he played for the freshman team last year. Outside the athletic arena, he participates in Irish assistant coach James Angiolino’s Joey’s Little Angels program.
“We’re just starting our toy drive,” Samuel said. “In the beginning of the season the soccer team went out and helped build a playground dedicated to someone who lost their child. It gives you a lot of sense of accomplishment helping out the community.”
Fisher is just glad he has Samuel around for two more years to help out the soccer program.
Lawrence Township’s Felipe Samuel, a sophomore, has been a stalwart defender for the Notre Dame High School soccer squad.,
