The Haverhill boys soccer team just seems to get better year after year.
The Hillies went 14-3-2 (lost in Division 1 North quarterfinals) in 2006, then improved by a game to 15-4-2 (lost in North semis) last year. Both marks are believed to be the best-ever finishes for a Hillies soccer squad (Eagle-Tribune records date back to 1988).
The Hillies are primed to surpass that impressive recent history hanks in large part to the defensive prowess of senior quad-captain and 2007 MVC All-Star Zach Greene.
"He's the main cog in our defense," said coach John Coppola of the three-year varsity starter. "He just shuts everything down. He's definitely 'the man' on defense."
Greene, who has helped Haverhill get out to an 13-2 start, has quite a soccer pedigree. His brother, Richie, was a two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star (2005 and 2006) and is currently playing soccer at Framingham State.
"My whole family, even my cousins, play soccer," said Greene. "Watching Richie and my older cousins — one of whom plays for Cornell (senior starting defender Dan McKallagat of Bradford) — play definitely helped get me into it."
We recently caught up with Zach to go Around the Horn.
What's your family life like?
"I have my mom and dad, a little brother who's 14, and my older brother who's 20. My younger brother is in eighth grade and plays soccer, too. He's also planning on going to Haverhill."
Do you play on teams other than your high school team?
"During the spring, I play for a club team called FC Roma, and I play for the district select program in the summer. I played at the Bay States my sophomore and junior year."
What position do you play and what do you like about it?
"I've played mainly defense throughout high school; this is my first year playing center defensive midfield. I like it because you get to do just about everything in terms of defending and attacking. It's kind of like having every position in one."
Ever been injured?
"Actually, I had to miss a game for the first time this year. I had a back injury so I missed our second game of the season, which was against Wilmington. It was just a pulled muscle or something. The trainer thought it was from playing a little too much."
Do you play any other sports?
"I ran the 1,000 meters in indoor track last year, but I don't know if I will again this year. It was more to stay in shape for soccer."
What did you learn from losing in the North semis last year?
"We learned that we have to come out strong no matter what. During the semis game against Woburn, we came out slow. You can't think you're going to come out and do well, you actually have to start out at 100%. We've been trying to do that all season."
Do you or any other players ever feel stuck in the scorers' shadows?
"No, it's all about what's best for the team. Ryan [McLeod] and Alex [Hussein] are having really good seasons, and we're happy for them. Even though we don't see our names in the box scores all the time, we still know we also helped contribute to each win."
How have you guys been so successful this year?
"Most of the team plays throughout the whole year, and we've been playing together — on travel and other teams — for years. I'd say about half of the entire team has been playing together since we were about nine or 10. We know each others' playing styles and how to play with each other, so that's helped a lot."
Any plans for next year?
"I'm planning on going to college and am looking at Roger Williams and UMass Amherst. I'm thinking about studying construction management and architecture. I'd definitely like to continue playing soccer, too."
What's your career highlight?
"I'd say winning last year's quarterfinal game. We were seeded fifth and had to play the No. 4 seed, Acton-Boxboro. They were projected to win 3-0, but we upset them 2-0. That was a huge win for us. We held it down on defense, that was the best overall team game we played all year. Nobody did anything wrong, everyone played perfect."
Are you a fan of soccer as a spectator sport?
"Yeah, we usually try to go to at least one Revolution game per year."
Why isn't soccer more popular in the States?
"People think it's boring to watch and don't think it's physical. It is pretty physical, though. Our high school fans love it."
What's something interesting about you that people don't know?
"We have a 4-year-old Yellow Labrador named Landon, after Landon Donovan."
Time for favorites: Favorite soccer team, soccer player, sport aside from soccer, athlete (non-soccer player), food, drink, movie, music, magazine?
"Team USA and Chelsea; Fernando Torres of Liverpool, he's so quick with the ball and he's a great player to watch; Basketball; Dustin Pedroia, he's an all-around great athlete; Seafood, especially lobster; Pepsi; 'Dumb & Dumber,' Jim Carrey's really funny in it; Hip-hop, 'Lil Wayne; 'Sports Illustrated.'"
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