Samiah Shell remembers her mom yelling from the sideline over the years.
The excited yells when Shell was dribbling, slicing through defenders with ease. The proud screaming when Shell scored a goal, letting everyone in attendance know she was her mom. That was her baby out there, putting on a show.
“She was definitely my biggest and loudest supporter,” Shell said.
Her mom, Jeannifer Chhang, died at 39 from a gunshot wound in October. Chhang’s boyfriend was arrested at the time on suspicion of second-degree murder after Chhang was found inside a vehicle parked in the driveway suffering from a gunshot wound. No charges have been filed in the case.
Shell got a phone call Monday morning, about an hour before her school day was supposed to start. It was from her grandfather, asking her what was happening. Shell called her aunt, who confirmed the news. She remembers being in shock. Family members started coming through the house, but the details are a bit of a blur.
“It was the longest day of my life,” she said. “I didn’t believe it at first. Especially that type of scenario.”
When Shell starts playing games this month for the Auburn Riverside High School girls soccer team, she won’t hear the chants from her mom on the sideline. Shell, a sophomore forward, said it’s been hard.
“Every grieving process is different,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m doing it right or wrong. Some days, I miss her. Some days, I’m OK. I’m surrounding myself with the people I love, the people I’m closest to. Losing someone I love is really hard.”
SHELL HAS ALWAYS STOOD OUT
Shell’s dad took her to an outdoor soccer event when she was 3 years old. She remembers trying to kick the ball to him.
“That’s when I found out I was left-footed,” she said.
She always admired her older brother, Sahanie, who is six years older.
“I wanted to be just like him,” Shell said. “No matter the age gap, we were always by each other’s sides.”
It started when the two took up inline skating — yes, with roller skates — as kids. They got into the sport competitively at the Auburn Skate Connection, a rink which saw a young Apolo Ohno get his start.
“I skated as soon as I could walk,” Shell said. “The local skating rink, it was super competitive.”
Turns out, she was pretty good. Like most athletic endeavors she’d take on, it didn’t take her long to become better than most of her peers. She just always had that it factor.
She took first place in national competitions when she was 6 and 8 years old. Then her brother quit inline skating to play soccer, and Shell followed suit.
Sahanie Shell, 21, played soccer for Auburn Riverside before going on to play at Saint Martin’s University. He currently works and lives in Lacey. He said he was always close with Samiah growing up, despite the six year age gap.
“I took her under my wing,” he said. “I just took some steps in my life, playing soccer, started to take it more seriously. We just supported each other. I just showed her the ropes. We were always close. … Back in the moment, I didn’t realize how much she looked up to me. We were both doing the same things. We got to play soccer with each other, too. It was always a good time. As we got older, it just made sense. She has succeeded in a way I wish I could have.”
It didn’t take long for Sahanie to realize his younger sister was different on the soccer field. As with inline skating, she was just better than her peers.
“Probably when she was 8 or 9 years old,” he said. “At some of her games, she’d be doing cutbacks and these moves. It wasn’t anything crazy, but it worked. She was really fast, too. When she was 10, she was hitting 40-yard goals.”
A FRESHMAN YEAR TO REMEMBER
Auburn Riverside coach Paul Lewis remembers a goal Shell had against Todd Beamer in 2019, her freshman season. She received the ball on the right side of the field, well outside the box. She cut inside to her left. In video of the moment, her coaches and teammates shout.
“Take. Take. Take. Take it. Take it. Shoot it!”
Shell curled the shot perfectly to the back post, into the top left corner of the net, giving the keeper no chance to make a play. It was beautifully executed, a next-level shot that few high school soccer players could make. And Shell hit it as a freshman.
Sometime before that, in practice, Lewis had challenged his players to make that exact shot, stretching their abilities. Cut it inside from the outside the box, he told them, and curl it into the back post.
“Just to give them something difficult to do,” Lewis said. “Kids will try it in practice and laugh at their misfortunes. Once in a while, someone would hit it, and it’s like they just won the lottery. But Samiah will take it on and do it again and again. And then she’ll do it in a game.
“The kids are like, ‘Wow, would I have tried a move like that and then, would I have the gall to try to shoot it from that distance?’ She’ll beat one, two, three people. Just keeping possession and beating people over and over again. She doesn’t lose it.”
At times, Shell leaves senior teammate and attacking midfielder Kayla Rydberg in awe.
“I don’t think anyone has seen anyone in this program as skilled as a freshman,” Rydberg said. “She’s so quick on the ball, so good with her moves. Always has a shot off. She almost never has a bad play, it seems like.”
In her freshman season, Shell scored 17 goals and had 27 assists, leading the Ravens to the Class 4A state championship game. She was named to The News Tribune’s 2019 All-Area first team. The previous school record for assists in a season? Ten.
“She has this strange mixture of confidence and selflessness,” Lewis said. “She’s much more interested in how the team scores or wins. She’s going to try to score goals, but if someone else scores, she’s just as excited about it. She’s probably the most dominant, most goal-dangerous player, but she just gets assists like crazy.”
Shell said seeing teammates have scoring chances gives her joy. Plenty of athletes say the right things, especially to the media. But Shell doesn’t sound phony. She’s not giving canned responses. She is genuinely elated to see her teammates succeed.
“If the opportunity is for them, I’m willing to give it to them if they have a better shot or angle,” she said. “If they’re making a better run, I’ll definitely give them the ball. To me, it’s not about the glory. It’s about sharing the glory with your teammates. Giving them the opportunity, everyone else the opportunity, to score on the field was a great feeling for everyone.”
Shell didn’t get to play in the state championship game. She was away playing in an Olympic Development Camp, hoping to become one of a select group of high school players nationwide to make the ODP National Team. She made the roster and would have been flown to Amsterdam to play against international teams. But the coronavirus pandemic forced the tournament’s cancellation.
ONE DAY AT A TIME
Some days are harder than others. When Sahanie attends Samiah’s games this season, there will be a void.
“Whenever (our mom) would come to our games, she wasn’t afraid to chant for us and show her love,” Sahanie Shell said. “She always took care of us. If we ever needed anything, she’d always make sure we had it. She always wanted to make sure we were OK. It’s tough to know that she’s not going to be able to make another (game). I know she’ll be there in spirit, in support.”
Sahanie knows that his sister will continue to be a positive presence around her teammates.
“She’s just so outgoing and positive and friendly in every way,” he said. “It just attracts everyone around her. Her teammates love her, her classmates love her. All the parents say hi to her. She can’t help but shine in a positive way.”
Even after enduring the tragic death of her mother five months ago and dealing with that grief, Shell can’t help staying positive. That type of infectious energy is in her DNA.
“This is just who I am,” she said. “Different things go through my head, but I don’t want to dwell on bad thoughts and bring that energy to everyone else.”
Shell thinks she gets some of that infectious energy, in part, from her mom.
“She was like nobody else,” she said. “She brought energy to the table; she was always fashionably late. Even if the party already started, when she walked in, it would start again. Everyone that knew my mom knows her energy, how loving she is. Even if you’re not her kid, she’ll make sure you’re fed, have everything you need. She’d spoil you.”
When her teammates heard the news about her mom, they stitched together a video. Each one of them said some encouraging words to Shell. Lewis also contributed, sending a heartfelt message.
“The biggest message is, we know she lost someone who loved her, and who she loved,” he said. “That’s a really big deal to lose someone who loves and supports you in that kind of a way. Not that we can ever replace it, but to know there are 50 people in our program that love you, too. We’ll be there and we’re super proud and she can call anyone on the team at any time and we’ll be there. Not feeling she has to go through it by herself.”
Shell said she’s felt the support from her team and school community, saying she’s grateful for the overwhelming support: The gofundme’s, the videos, text messages, teachers and school counselors continuing to check in on her frequently. She’ll miss the sound of her mom’s voice, but she’s determined to honor her by continuing to chase her dreams.
“I know she’d want me to keep moving forward, which I’ve been doing my whole life. I know she’s spiritually here. I want to continue thriving, loving, succeeding for her and my family. Unfortunately, (death) happens in life to everyone at some point. I didn’t know it was going to happen this soon.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 5:00 AM.
