Montana State University Billings Athletics

Career Resume
The top scorer in the both the MSUB and Great Northwest Athletic Conference record books, Charles amassed 154 points throughout his four seasons, scoring 69 goals and adding 18 assists in 70 games. Setting an MSUB and GNAC single-season record with 24 goals to lead the NCAA in scoring during the 2009 season, Charles was picked as the Ron Lenz Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year.
 
Charles had five hat tricks during his career, and scored 19 goals in the 2007 season and again in the 2008 season. He was picked as the GNAC Player of the Year in 2007 and 2009, and earned NCAA Division II West Region Player of the Year after his historic 2009 season.
 
Charles’ scoring average of 2.69 points per game stands as a GNAC record, and his 22 career game-winning goals are also the most ever in the conference.
 
Charles was a member of teams that went 5-11-2 in 2006, 13-4-2 in 2007, 10-8 in 2008, and 11-5-2 in 2009 for a cumulative career mark of 39-28-6. In his final career game, Charles scored three goals on Nov. 4, 2009 at Rocky to put a fitting close on his illustrious career.
 

Feature Story: England Native Sam Charles Ready to Add to his Already Remarkable Career Numbers for MSUB (By: Joe Kusek/Billings Gazette, 8/26/2009) - Original Publication

Five minutes, that's all Dan McNally needed.

McNally, the head men's soccer coach at Montana State Billings and his father Stephen, also a former player and coach, had driven 300 miles from their home in England to a showcase for U18 players interested in collegiate careers at schools in the United States.

It didn't take long for a physical 6-foot-3 center/forward to grab McNally's attention. The coach liked the player's innate ability to burst into an open space, the way he could change speeds and his gift to make plays. The athlete had a presence, an upper-echelon talent that McNally needed for the Yellowjackets.

Five minutes passed and McNally turned to his father. "We both looked at each other and said, 'Yes, that's the guy,' " Dan McNally recalled of that December day in 2005 in Sterling, Scotland.

"I had seen the future of Montana State Billings soccer.''

That future, Sam Charles, has been pretty good in the present.

Entering his senior season, the humble Charles is a two-time All-American, holds almost every scoring record for the program, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference player of the year in 2007 and was the GNAC Scholar of the Year for 2008-09. When he graduates this December with a degree in health and human performance, Charles will be one of the most decorated male athletes in Yellowjacket history.

"We might not see one like him here ever again,'' said McNally. "He's a once in a lifetime player.

"A lot of Division I coaches saw him at that showcase and passed on him. I'm sure if those same coaches saw him again, they would realize their mistake.

"I say this, without a doubt, he is the best player in Division II.''

Charles, along with fellow Englishman Tom Milroy, are two reasons that MSUB men's soccer has gone from after thought to West Region contender. "I basically built the program around Sam and Tom,'' said McNally.

MSUB has gone 5-11-2, 13-4-1 and 10-8 since Charles' arrival in the fall of 2006. He needs just eight points to become the GNAC's all-time leading scorer. While Charles has 101 career points - the conference record is 93 - the GNAC doesn't recognize his numbers from his 2006 season in the Heartland Conference.

"Obviously, I'm pleasantly surprised,'' said Charles about his numbers. "But I'm happiest with being consistent in my scoring.''

Blessed with a booming leg, he is accurate from long and short. When a photographer asked Charles to kick the ball straight at him, the athlete replied, "Are you sure?'' knowing full well he could whistle the ball past the ear of the photo shooter.

And with his size, Charles rises above the cluster of defenders to knock in an occasional header for a goal. Leg or head, he doesn't have a preference.

"Every time the ball goes into the net, it's a nice feeling,'' he said with smile. "A goal is a goal. Like everybody else, I play the percentages, the angles. But it's nice when it goes in.''

Charles had some Division I offers after the showcase but opted to join McNally at MSUB.

"I wanted to keep playing and earn my degree,'' he said. "At home (Chiswell, England), it's either or. You can go pro or go to school. You can't do both. I heard about the opportunity to come to the United States and it was too good an opportunity to turn down.

"Coach seemed like a genuine guy and that helped with my decision. I wanted to go to a place where I could play, where I was wanted.''

He had seven goals and two assists his first season at MSUB.

"The first thing with Sam is he's very athletic and very strong,'' McNally said. "Plus, he is a very technically sound soccer player. It's rare to see a player with his size and strength with so much technical skill. He is a huge presence on the field. Teams know at any moment, he can turn a game.''

That first year in Billings didn't come without growing pains.

"The heat by far,'' Charles said of his first August practices. "I'm from sea level. I remember being sick. It was tough.''

And he admits to missing a few things from home. "Fish and chips. And my mother's roast dinners,'' he added with another smile.

Charles' breakout came in 2007 when he scored a single-season record 19 goals. The biggest a long shot into the right corner to help the Yellowjackets defeat nationally-ranked Seattle University 1-0 in a mid-September home match.

"That's probably the biggest moment since I've been here,'' he remembered of the win that announced MSUB's arrival in men's soccer. "It's a good feeling, knowing you helped the program grow.''

Despite the extra attention from defenders, Charles knocked home 19 goals again last season and ranked among the top 10 nationally for goals and points per game. More importantly, he doubled his assists total.

 

"As a forward, you get used to all the defenders,'' he said with a shrug. "You can use that to your advantage. If someone is following you around all game, you can drag them all over the place and that creates openings for your teammates.''

Charles' excellence comes in bursts. He goes long stretches with the ball away from him and all of a sudden, he's making a play in front of the net.

"You can go 30 minutes without touching the ball,'' Charles explained. "It's frustrating but you have to be patient. When you get that one touch, you have to take advantage of the opportunity.''

Charles has spent the last two summers playing in the Premier Developmental League, first with Ogden, Utah in 2008 and the Colorado team this year.

"I feel like I've improved,'' he said. "I've simplified my game. I'm more of a team player. I know my position a bit more … just my decision making is better.''

McNally has no problems getting more from his two-time All-American.

"He listens and works hard,'' McNally said. "He is a great player who wants to get better.

Charles doesn't think about the numbers, "That puts too much pressure on myself,'' but his plans this season are more wide-ranging.

"This year, I just want the team to reach its potential,'' he said after practice Tuesday morning. "This is the best team I've been on so far. Every one gets along really well.''

Charles will graduate this December and plans to try out for a professional soccer career upon returning home.

"I would like to start up the ladder,'' he said of the English soccer leagues. "If not, then it's time for the real world. I wanted to get my degree. I work hard in my classes. My playing could end tomorrow but I'll always have my degree to fall back on.''

And McNally owes his father a debt of gratitude.

The MSUB coach does not have a driver's license for back home in England. His father had to drive him to the showcase where he found Charles.

"It was about 700 miles total both ways,'' McNally said. "It was a very nice trip.''