After injury setbacks, Sami Terra leads Shaker boys' soccer into state regionals

Shaker senior Sami Terra gets a foot on the ball in front of Guilderland senior Jack Wasserbach during the Section 2, Class AAA finals on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at LaSalle Institute in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union) (Jim Franco/Times Union) Sami Terra began his Shaker boys' varsity soccer career with a hat trick.Last Saturday, the senior had another, this time helping the Blue Bison win a sectional championship.Between those performances came injury setbacks, a brief return to the field and months spent trying to get healthy enough to play again.Terra scored all three goals in Shaker's 3-1 win over Guilderland in the Section 2 Class AAA final, sending the No. 6-ranked Blue Bison into Saturday's 4:30 p.m. state regional at Waterford-Halfmoon against Section 3's Cicero-North Syracuse (16-3), which is ranked 12th in the state. With 17 goals this season, up from eight last year, Terra has returned to top form just in time to help lead Shaker (13-5) into its biggest games of the season."Sami's been a goal scorer his whole life," Shaker coach Dan Fountain said. "He's had high expectations on him from Day 1. … He's an unbelievably amazing striker."Terra put his talents on display in his varsity debut last season, scoring three goals in a 5-0 win over Albany. But a hip injury interrupted his junior season, leaving him on the sideline before he returned in time for the postseason, which ended on penalty kicks against Guilderland. Another hip injury while playing for his club team extended his struggles into the offseason and he wasn't cleared to return until just before Shaker's tryouts this year.Terra, who plays club soccer for New York Elite Alleycats FC after growing up in Shaker's Saints FC program, said the long absence gave him time to think about what he wanted from his final high school season."I missed soccer for so long, and I didn't have the chance to play with my team and stuff," Terra said. "Making this comeback, it just means a lot."He missed the first few games and eased back in slowly."I think he's gotten better and better as the season's gone on, as he's gotten healthier and gotten used to playing again," Fountain said. "He just created so much for us offensively."Terra scored the deciding goals in 2-1 wins over Niskayuna and Averill Park, all four goals in a 4-1 victory over CBA and twice in a 3-0 win over Colonie this season. He added a goal in Shaker's 2-0 sectional semifinal win over Saratoga Springs before his hat trick against Guilderland.In the final, he scored on a free kick with 4.3 seconds left before halftime, headed in Liam Gregory's free kick to break a 1-1 tie and completed his hat trick on a breakaway.Even when Terra wasn't scoring, he drew defenders and created opportunities for teammates."Sami's very smart, so he runs off the ball well," Fountain said. "He's a good finisher when he gets the ball and he trusts his teammates. He hasn't tried to do it all on his own."That trust could matter even more Saturday. Shaker has adjusted to opponents assigning extra defenders to Terra, with players such as seniors Aiden Donohue, Hamza Sayed, Emeryk Lagace and Gregory contributing to the offense."When you get this late in the season, you need everyone to play well," Fountain said. "You need a couple players to step up and make plays."Shaker will also need to compensate for the loss of senior captain Avery Subik, who suffered an ACL injury in the sectional final and is out for the remainder of the season.Fountain described Subik as the heart of Shaker's midfield. After Subik left the final, Fountain saw Terra take on more responsibility, continuing to find space and make runs as other players tired.Subik, meanwhile, is learning how to lead from the bench."Hopefully, I can bring the same energy I did when I was on the field, even if it's from the bench," Subik said. "Just by encouraging - maybe pulling some of my players to the side if they might have their head down and just hopefully sending a message through my body language."With 18 seniors on the roster, Terra said Shaker has approached the postseason knowing each game could be its last together. Winning a sectional championship was a goal the players carried with them from tryouts.Now they have another chance to extend their season against Cicero-North Syracuse, one of eight teams left in the state."We've got to want to win it more," Terra said. "That's how we won both our sectional games. We were ready on the bus. We were ready all week."SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at After injury setbacks, Sami Terra leads Shaker boys' soccer into state regionals.