Matthew Samson's love for O'Dea

SEATTLE- It's been almost 3 years since Matthew Samson graduated from O'Dea and his love for the school is unmatched. On the day he got accepted to O'Dea he knew that he was going to have an incredible high school experience.

"It was a much different experience than what I would've encountered anywhere else," said Samson.

At O'Dea Samson played soccer all four years as a goalkeeper. In his first two years he played on the junior varsity team. Although playing on junior varsity wasn't the ideal for him, he kept on working and he knew his time would come real soon. As the years went by, he developed into a really solid keeper and played on the varsity team for his last 2 years.

His favorite memory playing soccer at O'Dea was in his senior year when he saved three penalties in a penalty shootout against Ballard High School in the state qualifying match. With those three saves O'Dea soccer qualified to its first state appearance since 1997.

In that same season (2019) he made the All-Metro League 2nd team.

Nearing his end at O'Dea, Samson felt more mature in his last few years than his first few.

"I especially enjoyed the last two years of high school because I felt more established in my schoolwork and in soccer. I knew my junior and senior year were really important, so I took things really serious."

All that hard work paid off as he got a scholarship to Seattle Pacific University in the spring of 2019.

His love for O'Dea was really special, whether it would be volunteering at basketball games or working at the St. James Cathedral Kitchen to feed the homeless. Even these days he can be seen wearing 2 O'Dea wrist bands on his arm to signify his love for the school.

Something that makes him special is his off-field grind. He makes sure that he is always in good shape and never falls behind in anything he does. He is at the gym every morning before school, or even running in the neighborhood to make sure his fitness is in top shape.

Now entering into his senior year at S.P.U, Samson is studying as a business administration major and is also the backup goalkeeper for the S.P.U soccer team. He has the option to play next fall as a graduate because he couldn't play his freshman year because of a meniscus tear and because of Covid 19.

After college Samson is looking to become businessman and also be a professional soccer player as well.