Pacifique “Pas” Ndayishimiye is fearless and plays soccer phenomenally well.
The West Aurora senior defender led the Blackhawks to an Upstate Eight Conference title, a regional championship and a 19-5 record that included knocking out Naperville North, the state’s top-ranked team in the sectional semifinals. He is the Captain of the Daily Herald’s 2024 Fox Valley boys soccer All-Area team.
“He will take on any challenge,” Blackhawks coach Joe Sustersic said. “He’s the type of person who if I told him to be goalkeeper he would be a great one in two years, and if I told him we needed him for offense he’d grudgingly say ‘I don’t do that,” but he’d do it and score 30 goals like Zach Thompson. He’s like the old “Bo (Jackson) Knows” (TV commercials). That’s Pas with whatever you tell him.”
Behind his leadership and play in the back, the Blackhawks blanked 10 opponents, including Naperville North and Naperville Central back-to-back. The Blackhawks and Washington D.C.’s Gonzaga were the only teams to shut out the Huskies.
“I was super impressed to see him make that much of an impact in the back,” Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. “He’s super gifted physically and I was also impressed with how good he is on the ball. Some kids are freaks athletically but not great at their feet, but he’s the full package. He did a great job against us.”
As a rare fourth-year player for the Blackhawks, he’s developed into more than a player.
“Pas is a coach on the pitch,” Sustersic said. “Even when I first met him at 14 years old he was already above his wisdom. He’s quite grounded. He doesn’t care about personal stats or goals, he is team first, friends second and maybe himself third.”
He’s also 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds so you cannot miss him.
“He has a man’s body. He’s muscle and skin and there’s not much more than that,” Sustersic said. “He’s a great kid and role model. If you had a daughter and he walked in as her boyfriend I think you would not have a problem with accepting him into the family. He’s a great person, a great soccer player, but an even greater person.”
He plays with aggression without losing control.
“I feel like physically what I bring is my speed in the back, and it’s not just in the back, even in the midfield I play with aggression,” he said. “It looks like I’m quiet on the field but I bring a lot of aggression to the defensive part of how I play.”
While he’s always ready to stop opponents on the pitch, he’s also the teammate that’s first in line to help out the program. When eight soccer nets had to be taken down to winterize over the weekend, Pas was the first to arrive.
“He’s so grounded, so mature for his age,” Sustersic said. “He has a world perspective. He understands the world doesn’t revolve around him which says a lot because teenagers don’t think like that. He realizes he’s one of billions and he’s going to take advantage of any opportunity he has and is going to excel.”
He hasn’t figured out his college plans yet, but he’s ambitious.
“I want to ride soccer as long as it can take me and to go into something business-related,” he said. “These last four years have been so fun connecting with my team and the other schools and building connections with them, even referees, other coaches and captains at the beginning of games.”
