Bunnell Soccer Star Graces Cover of Tri-State Mag

The face of Bunnell High School Boys Soccer is now also one of the four faces you'll see if you pick up the fall issue of MSG Varsity Magazine.

Zach Zurita broke the school's single-season scoring record in 2010, when he netted 33 goals in a regular-season undefeated campaign where he led the Bulldogs to two championship finals, including its first state final.

But the 17-year-old midfielder/forward said he was surprised to get the congratulatory call in late-August from MSG Varsity, a television network that covers high school sports in the New York Tri-State area.

"I was very shocked and happy," said Zurita, a senior this year. "There's plenty of other great soccer players in the Tri-State area."

To his credit, though, the Bunnell star was named All-State and All-New England as a junior in 2010.

On page 34, the magazine warns the soccer community to "keep an eye on" Zurita, who, in addition to bagging 33 goals last year, assisted on 16 others. The publication also applauds teammate Sebastian Tamayo, who chalked up a dozen shutouts between the posts in 2010.  

The photo shoot was held in White Plains, NY. Joining Zurita on the cover is a field hockey player from Joel Barlow High School in Redding, Conn., a football player from Greenwich, and a girls soccer athlete from Norwalk. The Bulldog attacking player said the other high school star athletes were nice and the studio was very professional.

Zurita started playing soccer in the Sterling House Recreational League when he was five years old. The teenage soccer star said his commitment to the game over the last 12 years comes from the lessons his father, a former professional soccer player, instilled in him from the very beginning.

"He just pushed me to enjoy it and have a good time," Zurita said. "He's made me the player I am today."

Do you know Zach? Congratulate him in the comments section below.