DETROIT (11/8/2019) -- When Detroit Mercy freshman Sami Nouri saw an email that the Titan men's soccer team was holding goalie tryouts late in the summer of 2016, he didn't think twice about showing up.
 
It's a mantra the now-senior goalkeeper for the red, white and blue has lived by.
 
"That was the big thing, what do I have to lose," Nouri said. "It's not just with soccer or anything. It's the way I look at a lot of things.
 
"When I saw the email, I said, 'well I love playing goalie.' Let's go to this tryout – why not, it couldn't hurt."

Nouri, who played one year of high school soccer as a forward his freshman year at Rochester Adams and really only had played goalie in pick-up games with his friends, earned a spot with the Titans and never looked back. Three years later, he's a leader not only on the team but within the Titan community of student-athletes.
  
In addition to his duties as goalkeeper, Nouri is a member of the school's Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) and also represented the school at the Horizon League SAAC meetings over the summer.

 
"I wanted to make an impact with the team. And I thought, 'How can I make an impact on the school?' It started out with joining the school's SAAC. Through that, Holly Kerstner saw that I was doing good work there so she wanted me to represent the school at the Horizon League SAAC. It's important for me and I'm still representing the team in that way. Soccer has given me so many other opportunities like this and trying before it's all over, making the most of those opportunities however I can."
 
Nouri has been instrumental for the Titans since his freshman season in 2016, when he was a vital addition to a squad that needed depth at the goalkeeper position. With an injury to Josh Flamme in the preseason, Nouri provided much-needed help for the Titans behind starting keeper Robbie Beckwell - and he was immediately all in for the program.
 
"I loved it right from the start. I loved the guys right from the start. The soccer was so much fun. For me, it was really starting my soccer career, learning everything. I basically learned the goalie position as if I was a 10-year-old starting out playing soccer. I was so excited to learn more."
 
But he became much more than a third-string goalkeeper for the Titans. He has become the voice for the team over the years, especially in the past two seasons as a veteran on the squad.
 
"Being on the team after my freshman and sophomore years, I'm not out there starting and playing, but I thought it was important to impact the team in some way, so I thought how do I do that. The only way was to get the guys going and excited before every game, every practice. I was kind of like the hype man for the whole team at that point. That was the role I took. I made sure the bench guys were always ready, always excited during the game. It's an important role for the team, I needed to help out in any way that I can."
 
Nouri, who received the Coaches Award from the team following his freshman season when he was a crucial addition, got his first playing time of his career during the 2018 season, playing the final 15 minutes in a late-season match at the University of Michigan, making a save on a hard-rising shot towards the crossbar during that contest.
 
"There was a preseason game at Cincinnati where Nick put me in at forward for five minutes. It was that game and when he put me in the Michigan game last year," Nouri said. "Those are the moments that to me make all of the practice and everything worth it. I know at my position, most of the guys expect to play most of the games, but I practice for six months and put in one game and it makes it all worth it to me. 
 
"I didn't expect to go in. He puts me in for the last 15 minutes or so, it was a surprise but I'm always ready. It was cool playing one of the best teams in the country."
 
He's thankful for the opportunity to play for a Titan team that is as close on the field as they are off. Nouri, who went to high school at De La Salle Collegiate and was classmates with fellow senior Aleks Vushaj, knows the brotherhood within the team is unique.
 
"I can't speak to other programs or schools, but I always thought it was a pretty unique thing that we have here," he said. "I can't imagine it being this close at other Universities, we do everything together, outside of soccer we are doing everything together. During soccer, we are always each other's biggest supporters, outside of soccer – not just my class – the whole team is hanging out. In the dorm rooms, we are making sure to live next to each other. It's one of the biggest things that motivated me to continue in my four years was how close of a group we were and knowing that that was going to help get through the tough times."
 
Nouri, who is set to graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice and minor in Political Science, appreciates the opportunity to play Division I athletics and the opportunity to learn from the great goalkeepers that have played on Titan Field.
 
"Obviously, I want to give credit to (head coach) Nick (Deren) for giving me an opportunity from the beginning," he said. "That's always something that I put in the back of my mind, Nick's the reason I'm even in this position. Him and (assistant coach) Spencer (Pappas), I owe a lot to them for that. I have to thank (Titan goalkeepers coach) Keith (Jarema), Rob (Beckwell), Josh (Flamme), Devin (Mendez), Evan (Mazurek) and Reggie (Spencer). All of them, especially Rob, Josh and Keith taught me so much from the start. I would not be at the skill level that I'm at without them. They were so open to teaching me. They were all very patient with me. They all wanted me to get better and that's something I was really appreciative of, how patient they were with me and how much they helped me."