Shouts echo across Skyline Park as practice commences for the boys varsity soccer team. If one were to turn their head, they would see that the source of the noise is senior Tony Zhang.
Zhang is a left back on the boys varsity soccer team. This year is his first on varsity after having played on junior varsity (JV) for the past two years. Boys varsity soccer head coach Kyle Beaulieu-Jones said that Zhang’s resilience has been admirable in the last couple of years, despite playing on the JV team last year.
“His junior year, I don’t think that he necessarily played on the team that he was aspiring to play on. He continued to just work hard, make progress and stayed positive throughout,” Beaulieu-Jones said. “This year, he ended up making the varsity team and he has continued to work to find himself in a starting role this year as a senior and is playing major minutes for us.”
Although Zhang started playing soccer when he was five, a large part of his commitment to the sport has been because of his teammates and their support.
“When we were in middle school, we would play together on travel. It’s a good feeling to reach success. It’s nice being able to play one last season with them,” Zhang said.
Senior and midfielder Sebastian Cuervo has been playing with Zhang since fourth grade. He said that Zhang has brought energy to the team ever since he touched the field.
“He’s very energetic, especially on the field. His ideas get heard,” Cuervo said. “If he makes a bad pass, he’ll yell something. You always know what he’s thinking.”
Beaulieu-Jones noted that Zhang is improving his leadership as a senior and is becoming a guiding influence on the field.
“I think, by the end of the season, we’ll really see a good amount of progress. He may not be captain, but he will be leading and helping us hopefully get to where we want to get to,” Beaulieu-Jones said.
Cuervo said that in addition to making his voice heard on the field, Zhang also makes an effort to improve his skill and thoroughly prepare for games.
“There’s times after games where he just calls me for an hour, just talking about the game,” Cuervo said. “Or when there’s a big upcoming game, he’ll call me or someone else, and he’ll just ask questions about what he should do and how we can win as a team, which is very thoughtful.”
Zhang said that he is looking forward to a strong end to the season, one where he can spend time with his teammates.
“It’s great to win by yourself, but knowing that you have the friends [and] people around you that are there during the losses and there during training when it’s hard, it just feels good,” Zhang said. “I’m excited to keep playing with my friends, the people I love, and just keep winning games with them.”
