All eyes are on Pacifique Ndayishimiye, no matter where the junior defender is on the field for West Aurora.

The Blackhawks’ opponents certainly have learned to always account for the 5-foot-11 Ndayishimiye, but even his own teammates need to be cognizant of his every move.

“I just know that I have to do my best for the team to make sure we’re doing our best,” Ndayishimiye said. “When I do my best, I know the people around me are doing their best.

“I see myself as the guy that uplifts the whole team. They feed off what I put out. I see that and I try to show it. It’s just the way I am.”

Ndayishimiye has been the driving force for West Aurora (16-3), the second seed in the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional which will open the postseason hosting a regional.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Blackhawks face the winner of East Aurora (4-9-2) vs. Plainfield South (1-17-1) in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal to begin what they hope is a deep run.

“We started off great,” Ndayishimiye said. “I feel like that’s what drove us. Initially coming into the season, we didn’t have the confidence. We really went above expectations.”

It’s hard to believe a player with three goals and four assists can mean that much to a team, but Ndayishimiye’s value goes beyond statistics.

The Blackhawks have allowed 20 goals this season. Ndayishimiye has been on the field for only half.

His throw-ins in the offensive zone also are so accurate they feel like corner kicks. His high motor allows him to roam up and down the field as needed.

“You notice right off the bat how good of a player he is,” West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic said of Ndayishimiye. “He can run down a player, score a goal, set up another.

“He does play the role of the Superman character.”

As Ndayishimiye said, his teammates are well aware of his worth, particularly forwards like junior Power Selemani who are the beneficiary of his work more often than not.

“Having ‘Pas’ on the team is really nice,” Selemani said. “He’s always fighting for the team and picking people up. He pushes us forward. Whenever he does something, he motivates us to do the same thing and keep going.”

The 15th of 16 children in his family, Ndayishimiye arrived in America from Tanzania when he was two months old. Five of his brothers and sisters are here in America with him.

While Ndayishimiye hasn’t met his other siblings nor has he ever visited his homeland, he said he would like to in the future.

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“I feel like me not meeting them is a big part of me missing,” Ndayishimiye said. “I try to do my best because I know people like my family over there don’t have the same situation I’m in. I try to make the most of my opportunities.”

With that to fuel him, Ndayishimiye wants to give back. Instead of training with his high school team over the summer, he worked at a summer camp for kids and trained with his club team at night.

It turns out the magnetic qualities he shows on the soccer field extend off the field as well.

“I had things that I wanted to do,” Ndayishimiye said. “I had goals outside of soccer. Working is a way to getting to that. But I knew as soon as the season came, I had to be ready.”

Ndayishimiye has visions of playing soccer in college in two years. In the meantime, he hopes to be with his team for another few weeks this season.

“We’re a family,” Ndayishimiye said. “We’re always together. We’re always communicating on and off the field, making sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.