NAMPA, Idaho – Rafael Junqueira had never left Brazil before stepping on board an airplane and flying to Florida as a 17-year-old.

He spoke no English and had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Just a month before he had reconnected with an old friend while attending the Spain-Netherlands World Cup match. That friend had been playing at an academy in Florida and helped set up Junqueira with a spot on the team.

"It was never in my mind to come to America," he said. "I hadn't seen my friend in like two years. After the game, we went to dinner and had this conversation. After one month, I was coming here. It was like destiny."

Junqueira spent one year in Florida and one year in Minnesota at Shattuck-St. Mary's School, one of the top soccer academies in the country. His original plan was to graduate high school and then head back to Brazil.

His plans changed when then-Wheaton coach Joel DeLass began recruiting him. After DeLass landed the NNU job, Junqueira followed him to Idaho.

After two years of adjusting to the collegiate style of play, Junqueira is finding his groove. He has a team-high six goals and leads the Nighthawks into a game against No. 1-ranked Simon Fraser at 4 p.m. Thursday at NNU Field.

His six goals are tied for the seventh most in modern program history and are more than anybody scored on the team last year.

"He is getting into spots where goals are happening and guys are getting the ball to him," DeLass said. "He is spending less time trying to create goals himself, and his teammates are putting in the work for him."

His relationship with his teammates has helped on the field and off the field.

When his grandfather passed away recently, his teammates came to him to encourage him and give him a place to talk.

"When you lose someone it is very bad, but if you are there you can go to the funeral and talk to family," he said. "A couple of guys came and talked to me and that helped a lot."
Those close relationships are helping on the field as well.

"Last year we had a lot of behavior problems," he said. "Players didn't get along. This year, we might have as much talent, but the group is very close."

Junqueira, and his younger brother Henrique, are the only members of his family to play soccer. His dad was a professional tennis player in Brazil and his mom played volleyball for fun.
While his family didn't play the sport, they did see it as a means for their son to get an education.

"In Brazil you can't play football and go to school at the same time," he said. "One year I stopped studying because I couldn't do both. When I came to America, I could do both at the same time. It was a solution. That was the most important reason I came."

Junqueira has shined in the classroom at NNU, sporting a 3.70 GPA. He is a financial economics major with an emphasis in global business and a minor in political science.

"I am happy," he said. "I don't regret coming. My family was the main support for me to come here. They really pushed me to come here and to stay here."