Samuel Ruiz Plaza (Messiah ’19) has served on the Augsburg men's soccer coaching staff since 2019, with his first two years as the graduate assistant and recruiting coordinator.
Playing Experience/Achievements
Samuel was a four-year student-athlete at NCAA Division III powerhouse Messiah College. During his time at Messiah he helped lead the Falcons to their 11th National Championship (2017), an Elite Eight run (2018), a Sweet Sixteen appearance (2016), and two MAC Conference Championships (2016 & 2018). Individually, Ruiz Plaza received various honors including following Samuel’s senior season where he was named a USC All-American, USC Scholar All-American, D3soccer.com All-American, USC All-Region, and he was also a two-time MAC All-Conference selection.
At East Ridge HS, Samuel was a four-year varsity starter. He captained East Ridge HS to their first ever State Tournament appearance and led them to a 21-1 season his senior year. During his time at East Ridge HS Samuel was named NSCAA All-Region, two-time First Team All-State, two-time All-Metro, and three-time All-Conference selection.
At the amateur level, Samuel is a three-year veteran for local NPSL club Minneapolis City (2016, 2017, 2019), and played for USL2 side Charlotte Eagles in the summer of 2018.
Personal Notes
Samuel graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Messiah College in 2019, and earned his Masters of Business Administration degree at Augsburg University in 2021.
