ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Izabella and Károly Nagy will never forget that August day in 2020 at the Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

Tears were shed as their 18-year-old son, Tamas, set out to pursue his dream of playing college soccer in a faraway land.

"It was hard," Izabella says. "He was the first one in the family to come to the United States."

Three flights and 24 hours later, Tamas landed in Rochester to begin his time as a student-athlete at Roberts Wesleyan University, which is nearly 4,300 miles away from his home in the Hungarian village of Szár.

"First of all, I was really excited," Tamas recalls. "I never had fear and I still don't have fear, as the only fear I have comes from God. At the same time, I wondered how the distance was going to be for me and my family. I am really close to my family, it's not just parents and son, it's like best friends. We share everything."

Well, not quite everything. Izabella waited for two years to tell Tamas that she cried for a full two weeks after he departed for college. Tamas' resolve was also tested in his first two weeks at Roberts as COVID-19 protocols meant that he and all other international students arriving on campus needed to be quarantined for 14 days.

Even though he was isolated, Tamas did not feel alone. In fact, he still has pictures of his new coach, Scott Reber, sitting on the grass outside of his dorm and chatting with him through the window while he was confined to his room on those summer days just to make sure that he and his teammates had what they needed.

"It was really just a tough time for everybody," says Reber, who has three adult children. "As a father, I know that if my child had traveled that far and had to be quarantined for two weeks that I would want to know that somebody was there to look after them and make sure that they were OK. Even though I had just met some of them as they got off the plane, I wanted to take care of my boys."

When former teammate Franc Schmoyer learned that Tamas was in need of orange juice, he went to the store and purchased three gallons and had them delivered to his room. The two remain close friends today.

Those type of actions helped Tamas realize that he had come to the right place.

"For me, the most important thing about coming to Roberts was to play soccer on a team where the coach really wanted me to be part of the team and believed in me," Tamas says. "I wanted to make sure that the coach was a great person and wanted me to get better every single day."

Nagy's relationship with his teammates, coach and the Roberts community has only become stronger over the past three years.

"Since I have been here, I have grown so much in my life," Tamas says. "Every single day I am happy here. I love my friends, coaches and teammates."

Making an early impression

The 2020 soccer season was postponed due to the pandemic, but Nagy's work rate and dedication caught the attention of his teammates even before he ever set foot on the field.

"He's a workhorse, he's dialed in and he's motivated," former Redhawks captain Marc-Anthony Blackburn says. "It's not just soccer, it's everything. … The one thing about Tommy, when he says he is going to do something, he is going to get it done."

Tamas conducted individual workouts in his room while in quarantine and even applied for and landed his first work-study job with cleaning services while in isolation.

"That's not a job that a lot of people want to do," he admits, "but as an international student you do what you have to do because you need money." 

Tamas, who is now a resident advisor, has also worked for food services and in the library while majoring in Sports Management and Marketing all while becoming one of Roberts' top players during the Division II era.

"When he is not working or studying or playing soccer, I would say that he is an authentic, real person," former teammate and roommate Hunter Salisbury says. "He is always building people up and he is funny."

Don't be defensive

Nagy saw his first action for Roberts during the abbreviated Spring 2021 season. 

"When he came in, he was young and he tried to do too much," Blackburn says.

But a conversation with Salisbury helped change everything.

"He was playing winger and I was playing behind him as an outside back," Salisbury says. "He was really skillful, really crafty and he was really hard to defend, but he was thinking too much on the field about where he needed to be. I was really good at defense, so I told him not to come back and play defense and it worked out great for both of us."

After a quiet start in the first three matches, Nagy turned heads by recording four assists in a 9-1 win over D'Youville on April 18.

He followed up his freshman season with two goals and four assists as a sophomore and then erupted with 16 goals and 11 assists to tie for the team lead in scoring with Dylan Ruiz, Roberts' all-time goal-scoring leader, by registering 43 points as a junior.

A perfect 10

In addition to being stronger and more confident, Nagy's breakout season was fueled by one other change: Switching jerseys to the coveted No. 10.

"In soccer, when you wear the No. 10, typically you are someone that the other team needs to take notice of and pay attention to and that is certainly true for Tommy," says Blackburn, who as team captain advocated for Nagy making the switch from his original No. 21. "You need to have style, be physical and have a presence."

Tamas certainly made his presence felt, scoring goals in nine different matches as the Redhawks earned 11 victories and advanced to the finals of the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I National Championship in Kissimmee, Fla. 

"The number 10 helps me to feel free on the field," Tamas says. "It also motivates me that I have to prove myself every game to the people that believe in me."

That was never more true than in the 2022 East Coast Conference semifinals at Molloy, when Tamas, who had never scored more than two goals in a college game predicted – and delivered – a hat trick after being challenged by Blackburn to step up his game.

"He said to me, 'Marc, why are you not showing me respect?'" Blackburn says. "A game like today is a game that separates great players from good players and I am going to go out and get a hat trick. Then we got to the game and he scores four goals, three goals in the game and a penalty kick in the shootout."

Despite Nagy's effort, the Lions prevailed 5-4 in penalty kicks, setting the Redhawks up for their run in the NCCAA Championship.

Nagy, who was named second-team All-ECC as a junior, followed that up by being named the ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year this year. He led the conference in goals (13) and finished second in points (31) while earning first-team all-conference honors this fall. With 25 assists, he ranks among the Top 10 career leaders at Roberts.

His teammates also showed their belief in him by voting him a captain.

"His game has evolved tremendously," Reber says. "We all knew that he was talented, but he has a tremendously high soccer IQ. He is able to read the game and see things and he has been blessed with great talent and technical ability, but his soccer IQ is at another level."   

Coming to America

While the goals and assists were nice and Tamas will carry the memories of his teammates with him for years, nothing will top having his parents make their first trip to the United States and spending the final two weeks of the regular season with him.

Izabella and Károly arrived in New York City in time to see Tamas score twice and give an assist in a 4-3 loss at Queens. He scored again in a 4-2 win over Daemen and they took the field with him for pregame festivities in a 1-0 win over Shaw on Senior Day. 

"It's awesome," Izabella, who works as a teacher, said on Senior Day. "It's a great feeling to be here with him."

Károly, who watches every Roberts game - regardless of how late it ends - with Tamas' godfather in Hungary, was extremely grateful to see his son play in person again.

"I am thankful and feel blessed that my parents had a chance to come and watch me," Tamas says. "I always talk with my Dad after every game and sometimes it's 3 in the morning in Hungary. When they were here, it wasn't on FaceTime but in person, which felt amazing. There is no better feeling than when you score goals and you see that your parents are proud." 

Ultimate goal

Tamas, who Blackburn says has the "perfect blend of confidence and humility," hopes to play professionally when his college career is over. His dream is to play for the Hungarian National Team one day.

His favorite player is Lionel Messi, but he also looks up to former Roberts standout Malcolm Shaw, who is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago National Team.

"To see a guy from your college make his national team and play against the U.S. is amazing," Tamas says.  "Malcolm Shaw isn't just a huge inspiration to me, he is a huge inspiration to all of my teammates as well."

Growing up in Szár, about 30 miles from Budapest, Tamas was coached by Zsolt Szoboszlai, who is the father of Hungarian National Team captain Dominik Szoboszlai.

Tamas knows that it is a long road, but he has gone the distance to chase his dream before.

"The first step is to play professionally and make first division in a country, because once you make first division the national teams start paying attention to you," Tamas says. "I believe that I have an opportunity to do that."

He also has the chance to play for Roberts again this week as the Redhawks have advanced to the NCCAA Division I National Semifinals for a second straight year. 

Nagy, who says that he has grown in his faith during his time at Roberts, is on track to graduate in May. He also has an extra season of eligibility remaining due to the pandemic, which means there is a possibility he could return to the Redhawks in 2024.

"Only God knows what will happen," Tamas says. "I would be really happy if it turned out that way." 

Regardless, one word describes his feelings for Roberts.

"Love," he says. "I am just really thankful because I have learned a lot and I am not talking about soccer or any class, I have learned a lot about life. This place has changed my mind-set and the way that I think. When I came here, I was just a boy looking to have fun. I still like to have fun, but now I am a man  and my mind-set is completely different."