From The Heart: Bonnies Men's Soccer Senior Makes The Cut

The 'From The Heart' feature series takes an in-depth look at St. Bonaventure student-athletes and coaches. Named for the beloved Merton's Heart that overlooks campus, this series will tell the stories of Bonnies athletic programs on and off the field. For previous installments in the series, click here.

Umechi Akuazaoku, a senior on the St. Bonaventure men’s soccer team, relies on his ability to be precise.

On the soccer field, Akuazaoku needs to have pinpoint accuracy with his dribbling and shooting skills. Off the field, he relies on his precision to help others look their best.

Around campus, Akuazaoku is a well-known barber. During the pandemic, he had trouble getting a haircut, so he decided to try cutting his own hair. An assistant coach on his academy team, who was a barber, helped him out by offering their team lessons on how to cut hair.

“He hosted a Zoom meeting every couple days to teach us,” Akuazaoku said. “We were joining the meetings every time. I would practice on my little brother or myself.” While Akuazaoku’s confidence cutting hair grew, restrictions from the pandemic began to loosen. However, he continued to cut his own and others’ hair.

After coming to Bonaventure, he began cutting his teammates hair. Nicholas Pucci, a goalkeeper on the team, is one of many teammates who get their hair cut by Akuazaoku. Although being “very nervous” the first time he went to Akuazaoku, Pucci said confidently that he “got the job done, and I’ve never looked back.” Another teammate, Keegan Dawson, was one of the first players to get a cut from Umechi.

“(Umechi) is the best-known barber at the school,” Dawson said, “I never really had worries because Meech really cares about what he does.” 

This expanded to other St. Bonaventure athletes, students, and even the school’s strength coach. Through all of this, Akuazaoku also continues to cut his own hair.

Growing up, Akuazaoku began his soccer journey by playing house league at the age of five. He got hooked on the game thanks to his love of scoring.

“I loved scoring goals at a young age, that was really fun to me,” Akuazaoku says. “My coaches wanted to try me at centerback, but I would always find a way to go forward and score goals.”

As he got older, he was recruited to play in the OPDL (Ontario Player Development League), one of the top youth leagues in Canada. In his last few years in high school, he made his way to DeRo TFC, an academy that’s affiliated with Toronto FC in the MLS.

Akuazaoku’s path to St. Bonaventure was anything but certain. His recruitment period was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, so he was unable to have many of the experiences other recruits had. Akuazaoku claims he “took a chance, and ended up loving it” at St. Bonaventure.

Becoming a Bonnie was not an easy switch at first. Going from a very successful academy to one of the smallest colleges in the Atlantic 10, he learned an underdog mentality.

“It’s a process. People don’t think you’re a good team, so you have to figure out a way to win.”

He also learned quickly how to manage his expectations. Akuazaoku claimed he had high expectations for himself going into his first year, leading him to be “humbled." Though it wasn’t what he expected, he says it made him a better teammate and athlete overall.

In his four years at St. Bonaventure, Akuazaoku played in 58 games. He scored 33 points as a Bonnie, recording 14 goals and five assists. Five of his goals counted as game-winners, and he has a career shot on goal percentage of 0.554%.

After college, Akuazaoku’s main goal is to play soccer at the professional level. Reflecting on this past season, he claims it was the best he’s experienced at Bonaventure. When about his favorite part, Akuazaoku put it simply. “Just good times with the lads.”