SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – To say that the beginning of her USF career didn't go according to plan for junior defender Samantha Curwood-Wagner would be an understatement. The Redondo Beach native spent the entirety of her soccer career playing forward, but once she arrived on the Hilltop the path to playing time was narrow for a striker.
"Sam came in as a forward in 2018 and when we arguably had the best strikers in USF history," assistant coach Pinder Nijjar explained.
Instead of being discouraged by limited playing time, Curwood-Wagner decided to make hard work her staple that would set her apart and catch the eye of her head coach.