Sam Gaye has only lived in the United States for two years, but the impact he made at Northampton will last for years.

The Ivory Coast born Gaye, spent most of his childhood living throughout Africa, moving to Ghana at six-years-old before his family moved to war-torn Liberia in 2008.

In June of 2012, Gaye stepped on United States soil when his mother married an American, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gaye took the Lehigh Valley Conference by storm last fall in boys' soccer, scoring 15 goals and registering five assists, en route to becoming the most feared striker in the league and District 11

He took home first-team LVC honors and was one of four juniors to make the PIAA 3A all-state team as a forward.

A seismic feat for someone with a small stature, which helped propel Gaye as this year's Male Athlete of the Year for Northampton.

All this for a player that started on defense when he made the varsity squad his sophomore year.

"My brother Romeo was living in the US since 2004 and he played for Northampton already," said Gaye of his first taste of K-Kid soccer. "He told me to tryout and I was a little nervous at first. All the guys were pretty big and the first week of camp was tough. I never did that much running and I had to get used to it, but once I got used to everyone, I got more confident."

Used as a sweeper on defense his first year, Gaye blossomed into an all-out force his junior campaign, transitioning from the backline to the front, opening last season with a fireworks display of goals.

He scored seven times in his first week of the season, including a hat-trick over Parkland during a 4-3 victory and a pair of goals during an overtime win over Whitehall.

The victory over Parkland was Northampton's third triumph over the Trojans in 25 years and he doubled that up by netting the tying goal against Whitehall with less than 30 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.

From there, Gaye scored the winner in the extra frame to give the Kids a 2-1 victory and help propel them to a fast start.

"It was great to beat Parkland because all the coaches and players would tell me that we never beat Parkland," said Gaye. "But scoring the two goals against Whitehall was nice too. I scored on a scissor kick to tie the game and then the overtime goal was a great feeling."

Getting respect from his schoolmates has been a warming gesture for Gaye as well.

Moving from Liberia to the United States is no small feat on its own, but Gaye has transitioned nicely. His English has certainly broadened and so has his growing circle of fans.

"Getting respect from everyone at school means the most to me," said Gaye. "I don't look at myself as the best player on the team, but I appreciate everyone showing me respect in school and how they support the soccer team."

Gaye has been apart of two straight district qualifying teams for Northampton and he hopes that he can turn that into a trifecta his upcoming senior year.

"I'm looking forward to this season," he said. "We still have a lot we want to do as a team and this is my last chance to win a championship for Northampton."