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01/17/2018 11:00 PMSenior Zach Smola left a big stamp on the North Branford boys’ soccer program. Zach was not only a four-year starter for the Thunderbirds, he also served as one of their captains in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.
“I came in as a freshman without a lot of expectations of myself, but it was clear to me early on [former Head Coach Danny Almeida] had expectations of me. He slotted me into the starting lineup early, and he saw something in me I hadn’t seen in myself,” Zach says. “The next year, he named me captain, which is very rare as a sophomore. I was very proud of that and was able to retain that role through my senior year.”
Zach says it was a huge adjustment to be named one of North Branford’s captains as a sophomore. It’s pretty rare for a high-school athlete to step into that role as an underclassman, but Zach meshed well with the older guys on his squad.
“It was one of those maturing kind of things,” says Zach. “As a sophomore, a lot of guys on the team were older than me. As a captain, you’re supposed to be guy everybody looks up to. It was my job to command the respect of the juniors and seniors. I had to become that leader, and I did a good job.”
Zach’s leadership stood out to Brett Gagliardi, who recently finished his second season as the T-Birds’ head coach. Gagliardi says Zach led the team by combining his solid soccer skills with an unwavering work ethic.
“Some coaches like to designate the team’s best and most skilled player as the captain—not just the best leader. But for Zach, he satisfies both of those. Zach’s work ethic in both practices and games was unmatched. It’s a real luxury as a coach when your most talented player is also your hardest worker. He set the tone day in and day out,” says Gagliardi. “Zach represents North Branford boys’ soccer with pride. It’s players like Zach who I know will continue to be a part of this program as an alumni and will give back everything he can to continue to strengthen the program.”
Zach has changed positions through the years by gradually moving up the field. He played defense for his first two seasons, was a midfielder as a junior, and then became a forward for his senior year.
“Growing up, I played mostly forward and then transitioned to defense, because my coach saw a commanding nature inside of me and thought I’d be good in the back to organize everybody,” says Zach. “As the years progressed, I moved higher up the field and rotated up to forward. That’s where I finished my career.”
Zach started in every game but one during his tenure with the T-Birds. With more than 11 seniors on the 2017 team, Zach gave up his starting spot for an away game after Senior Night, so one of his fellow seniors could suit up as a starter.
“There were a few seniors not able to get the start, because we have more seniors than roster spots,” says Zach, who is also a golfer for North Branford. “It was a conflict, so coach pulled me aside prior to the game and, after a quick conversation, I understood. It’s their team, too, so I thought it’d be important for them to have that opportunity, too.”
Zach received multiple team Most Valuable Player awards and also earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention throughout his four years at North Branford. However, his greatest memory came when the Thunderbirds won a game in the Class S State Tournament last season. North Branford hadn’t qualified for states in several years, and it meant a lot to Zach that he got to compete alongside his teammates in the postseason as a senior.
“In the regular season, we had a .500 record and made the State Tournament for the first time in a while. We even made it to the next round,” says Zach. “That was extremely exciting and fulfilling after the four years of work we put in. I’m glad we made it.”