Faraway Faye: Native of Senegal found home away from home on the pitch at UCR – Press Enterprise

On Sep 16, 2026

RIVERSIDE — Albertine Faye spotted Riverside on the map and saw her next home.

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UC Riverside women’s soccer standout freshman defender Albertine Faye poses on the campus field on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

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UC Riverside’s first-year striker, Faye emigrated from Senegal to Riverside, Mass., on a student visa in 2023, leaving behind her family to earn a U.S. high school diploma and seek collegiate opportunities.

Faye graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon in Riverside, Mass., in May, and then selected UC Riverside after just one campus visit.

“I don’t think there’s anything here that looks like Senegal but it’s chill,” she said. “I like it here. I enjoy it so much.”

A native of Mbour, Senegal and a member of the Senegalese women’s youth national soccer team, Faye faces an ocean and a seven-hour time difference from her friends and family.

However, Faye has not returned to Senegal or seen her parents since 2024.

“We talk on the phone but it’s still not enough for me,” she said. “It’s tough. You need them (and) I wish I had them right now but I’m just dealing with it until maybe one day they come here or I go there.”

Faye was able to return to visit for the holiday season in 2023 and for a few weeks during the summer of 2024, but she has been advised to not travel unless absolutely necessary.

“Right now, I don’t even know if I’d go back home,” she said.

A business major with eyes on an entrepreneurial future, Faye has kept her head down and earned a starting spot for the Highlanders this season.

“I don’t really do a lot of things except going to play soccer and come back; I haven’t visited the whole campus, still now,” she said.

FIRST GOAL

Faye scored her first NCAA goal in a 3-1 victory at Kansas City on Aug. 23, UCR’s first win since the 2024 season.

“I was very happy about it but at the same time I’m still like, ‘I need to do more’ to learn the center forward position,” she said.

A defender in her youth, Faye is currently playing an attacking role for UCR at the request of head coach Mike Dabbini.

“I know she’s used to seeing the whole field from the back, so we’re transitioning into making it a comfortable position for her,” said Dabbini, in his second year at UCR. “She’s very comfortable with the ball, (and) it kind of sticks to her feet.”

Faye grabbed her first assist in a 2-1 win against North Dakota on Sept. 6 and has four shots on goal for the Highlanders (2-4-0 overall) in five starts.

“She’s still adapting to that role, but I think the idea is that she can hold the ball up for us and help make more for us in the attack phase,” Dabbini said.

TO GO PRO

Back in Mbour, Faye’s academics demanded her attention from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so attending soccer training in the evenings required discipline. She’d then spend any extra hours and weekends on her father’s small farm.

Earning playing time or Senegal qualification for the women’s under-17 African Cup of Nations and now in Division I at UC Riverside have given Faye a reason to sharpen her perspective.

“After UC Riverside I really want to go pro,” Faye said. “At the same time, I chose to study business because I want to have something else besides soccer and it’s good to play but you never know what’s going to happen.”

Women’s professional soccer in the U.S. continues to grow, and by 2030 there are expected to be 50 women’s professional soccer teams in the United States across both first- and second-division tiers as the most significant expansion era for women’s sports in history continues.

“When players have that ambition, that’s huge,” Dabbini said. “I think we need more players to have the mindset that they want to play beyond college.”

Four previous UC Riverside women’s soccer alumni have gone on to professional careers, including Quinley Quezada, who played in Japan, Serbia, Australia, and represented the Philippines at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“I’m hoping Riverside will help me access what I really want in the future,” Faye said. “There are moments when I still think, ‘This is too much,’ but I know this is where I am supposed to be.”

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