Posted on Sun, Oct. 08, 2006
`MY FAITH KEEPS ME FOCUSED'
A month of fasting, praying, winning
Winthrop University soccer player has scored 4 game-winning goals since Ramadan began on Sept. 23
DENNY SEITZ
dseitz@charlotteobserver.comROCK HILL - There have been plenty of celebrations for Winthrop soccer players this fall, as the team has cruised to a 9-1-2 record and is on pace to set a school record for wins in a season (13).
But the celebrations are short-lived and sometimes muted for the team's star, junior forward Saidi Isaac.
As his teammates enjoy a post-game meal and drink together, Isaac is often alone, praying and honoring his commitment as a Muslim by celebrating Ramadan.
Since Sept. 23, when Ramadan started, the Nairobi, Kenya, native has scored four game-winning goals, all while fasting in honor of the Muslim holy month.
"It's not easy, but I'm used to it by now," said Isaac, who leads the nation in scoring with 14 goals. "I've been doing it since I was little. It's one of the pillars of Islam."
Isaac is 5-foot-8 and weighs about 160 pounds. He loses about 10 pounds during Ramadan, but his coach says he loses none of the savvy that led to his selection as Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year this fall.
"It's amazing what he does since he's a marked man on the field," Eagles coach Rich Posipanko said. "Everyone knows where Saidi is, but he still manages to get free."
Isaac, the Big South Conference's leading scorer last year, says his religious beliefs resulted in a discipline that has helped him become one of the best soccer players in the country.
He already holds the Winthrop single-game record of five goals, set last season. He's had one four-goal game this year. His 14 goals put him within reach of the single-season team record of 22 goals, scored by fellow Kenyan Franko Wahkisi in 2002.
It was Wahkisi who'd seen Isaac play in Kenya years ago, and who recommended Posipanko give him a scholarship.
It turns out, it was money well spent.
"People were talking about him, how good he was," Wahkisi said. "Then, he ended up playing for a team, the Mumias Sugar, in the town where I lived (Mumias, Kenya)."
Wahkisi, now a Winthrop assistant coach, has become a close friend of Isaac's. It's that friendship, and his faith, that have been the key factors in Isaac's on-field success.
"My faith keeps me focused, even more so during Ramadan," Isaac said. "Fasting is not just about eating. It's about faith, sacrifice, concentration, focus, discipline, commitment."
Keeping with Muslim customs, Isaac prays five times per day, coordinating classes around the prescribed prayer times of 5:35 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Prayer typically lasts between 10 and 15 minutes.
The schedule is altered some when games or practices conflict.
Isaac doesn't drink alcohol or smoke. During Ramadan, there's a special focus on doing good deeds. The Winthrop junior has sought out area Muslims for prayer groups and weekly get-togethers. About 10 people meet regularly, he says.
The people in the groups help him overcome homesickness. Isaac hasn't seen relatives in more than three years.
The commitment to his American education and Division I soccer experience were vital for him as he continues pursuing his ultimate goal of being a professional soccer player and one day, an entrepreneur.
Posipanko, who has coached more than a dozen pro players, lists Isaac as one of his best players ever.
"If he gets the ball within 12-15 yards of the goal, he's going to score," Posipanko said. "He's a quick kid. He's got good speed. But his game is about placement."
In the teams' first 12 games, Isaac took 35 shots. Twenty six of them became shots on goal. Fourteen ended up in the net.
The four game-winners were simply products of being in the right place at the right time, Isaac says.
His coach says there's more to it than that.
"All he needs is a little opening, and he's going to get the ball past the keeper," Posipanko said. "He's that good."
