| Samantha Estrada | |
| Fullname: | Samantha Estrada |
| Birth Date: | 2000 7, mf=y |
| Birth Place: | El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Currentclub: | Dallas Trinity FC |
| Clubnumber: | 0 |
| Collegeyears1: | 2018–2023 |
| College1: | SMU Mustangs |
| Collegecaps1: | 50 |
| Collegegoals1: | 0 |
| Years1: | 2024 |
| Clubs1: | AHFC Royals |
| Caps1: | 9 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2024– |
| Clubs2: | Dallas Trinity FC |
| Caps2: | 3 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Youthclubs1: | New Mexico Rush |
| Youthclubs2: | Texas Rush |
| Club-Update: | September 20, 2024 |
| Youthclubs3: | Houston Dash DA |
Samantha (Sam) Estrada is an American professional soccer player from El Paso, Texas, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for the Dallas Trinity FC in the USL Super League.
At twelve, Estrada began playing soccer with the New Mexico Rush. She later joined the Texas Rush, a ten-hour drive from her home in El Paso, and lived with a host family during three-week stays.[1]
Estrada later join the Houston Dash's Development Academy and was invited to a U18 USWNT camp in October 2017.[2]
Estrada received a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2018, where she played for six years in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).[3] She experienced three ACL tears—first in her freshman year in 2018, then again in 2019, and for a third time in 2022 before her final season. Despite these injuries and three subsequent surgeries, Estrada recorded 175 career saves with the Mustangs, ranking 10th in program history. She also ranks 6th in save percentage and 7th in goals against average.[4]
During the 2021 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament, Estrada achieved a shutout against Texas, helping SMU advance to the second round for the first time since 2006.
In 2021, Estrada signed a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Sam's Club, reportedly valued at $10,000.[5]
After college, Estrada entered the 2024 NWSL Draft but was not selected.[6] Afterwards, she joined AHFC Royals, a Houston-based team in the USL W League. The Royals completed the 2024 season undefeated, conceding only four goals across ten games. Estrada played her final match with the team on June 21, 2024.[7]
Estrada signed her first professional contract with Dallas Trinity FC on June 11, 2024, joining her former SMU teammate, Allie Thornton.[8] Estrada was the club's fifth overall signing and made her professional debut in Dallas Trinity's inaugural match against Tampa Bay Sun FC on August 18, 2024.
Estrada was born in El Paso, Texas, and later completed high school in The Woodlands, near Houston. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Methodist University in 2021, followed by two Master's degrees, one in Sports Management and the other in Business Administration.[9]
Estrada's father was also a goalkeeper who played with the Dallas Burn.[10]
| Team | Season | Regular season | AAC Tournament | NCAA Tournament | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| SMU Mustangs | 2018 | AAC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| 2023 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |||
| Club | Season | League | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| AHFC Royals | 2024 | USL W League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Dallas Trinity FC | 2024–25 | USL Super League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||