Niyen Malik Ruffin, was born on May 29, 2005 two weeks late and three days later. All on his own time. Niyen has been raised by his mother, Danielle. His father, Marion Lee was incarcerated when Niyen was just six weeks old and remained there until he was three. Unfortunately, Marion passed away of lung cancer when Niyen was nine years old. Niyen is a spirited young man: brilliant in the classroom, thoughtful in our community and a star at whatever sport he puts his energy into. His mom saw this all at a young age and began building a community for Niyen to help him be as successful as he could and deserved to be.

At the age of 4 Niyen began playing soccer for the Town of Pittsford Recreation. It was love from the first touch of the ball on the pitch. Danielle being a single parent struggling to pay enrollment fees gathered the courage to ask if they had any scholarships available and they did! This opened the door to his love of soccer. Niyen moved on to play for the Pittsford Mustangs, a private club. Again, the story is the same. The cost is more than Danielle made in a month, but she knew that it was so important that Niyen got the opportunity to play. And again, Danielle reached out to the club, shared their story and they graciously were able to scholarship Niyen to play for more than six years with them. A coach at that club, Danny Gilbertson, saw that Niyen had the skills to be an amazing goalie and he put him in the net and he has never come out. Just as Niyen is consistent in the net, Coach Danny has stayed a constant in Niyen’s soccer career.

Niyen began attending McQuaid Jesuit in sixth grade. Public school wasn’t working for him. He needed to be more challenged academically and wanted to be in the best setting possible. This put a huge financial strain on his mother. But she knew the brotherhood and the investment in education was something that would benefit Niyen for years to come. McQuaid has offered a generous financial aid package for the last 7 years making it possible for Niyen to maintain his enrollment. Academically, Niyen has flourished into a thoughtful scholar, maintaining a 3.25 GPA.

Niyen has thrived in the community at McQuaid. Niyen began talking right away with the varsity soccer coach, Nino Pilato. Nino saw the potential in Niyen and offered Niyen a position on his club team, Cobras, which became a team with the Rochester Jr. Rhinos. Niyen’s skills continued to grow as did his desire to play at a higher level after high school. He is a four year varsity player for soccer and he has been on the varsity lacrosse team for 4 years as well. Niyen became a member of the WNY Flash Central soccer team, his coach still being Nino Pilato. This club provides Niyen with the highest level of competition and the best exposure to college coaches. This club has been able to scholarship Niyen’s time on the team. Besides the cost of the club there are countless weekends of travel that add up. His mother knew that no matter what, she needed to make this happen for Niyen’s growth on and off the field.

Niyen is now a senior at McQuaid Jesuit. Niyen and his fellow Knights just competed in the NYS soccer championships where they secured the silver medal taking a hard loss to Scarsdale. They finished the season at 18-0-2. He has traveled to Florida, Georgia and other areas of New York to attend college id sessions for recruitment. Niyen has a desire to play D1 or D2 soccer and study sports medicine with a focus on athlete physical therapy.

Nova Southeastern
When: December 3-4
Cost: $250
Flights: $160 with Frontier
Additional costs: $200 meals and expenses

High Point
When: December 17
Cost: $150
Flights: $415
Hotel: $300 Friday night and Sunday night prior to flights
Additional Costs: $200 meals and expenses

Palm Beach Atlantic
When: December 10-11
Cost: $250
Flights: $160 with Frontier
Additional Costs: $200 meals and expenses 4. St. Leo*
When: TBD
Cost: $250
Flights: $300 * will plan to attend visit with Tampa soccer at this same visit.
Additional Costs include lodging and food funds: $500

Sienna
When: MONDAY 11/21
Cost: $125
Travel: $400 gas,lodging and food