Much in the same way that classroom experiences differ between first year students and those who have been around the block a time or two, time spent on the field shapes the way athletes play over the course of months and years. For Brittney Zacharuk, a fifth-year midfielder on the Cascades women’s soccer team, the role she’s played has evolved through the years. Now, as a leader, with aspirations of coaching and helping others, Zacharuk goes into her last year of the program determined to leave a mark. Her journey began as many soccer journeys do.
“I have two older sisters and I kind of took after them, wanting to play,” Zacharuk said. “My dad [was a] big soccer guy growing up. Played for team Canada, U-18, U-20, so I think that was a big influence.”
With her dad as her coach and so many role models to follow, there’s no doubt that her love of soccer took root early on.
However, figuring out that soccer is something you want to pursue, like any sport, isn’t easy. The commitment that athletes need to pursue college- and university-level careers is tough, but it often starts long before they choose a school. For Zacharuk, ascending through the levels of the sport brought the realization that a post-secondary career could be a reality.
“There’s different levels of U-soccer,” Zacharuk explains. “There was BCSPL (British Columbia Soccer Premier League) and that’s the highest level. When that first was introduced I stayed at Metro and I knew I could play BCSPL, but it was just a matter of where. So, instead of leaving my little hometown of North Delta I just stayed there and played Metro. Then I went to a different program, TSS [a private soccer academy].”
Then, UFV entered the frame when Rob Giesbrecht, the head coach of Cascades women’s soccer, saw Zacharuk’s highlight reel.
“Rob contacted me, asking me to come out for a visit and that’s that,” Zacharuk said.
Zacharuk knew that UFV was small, but saw it as a good thing. According to Zacharuk, going to a lesser known school can yield different benefits than the recognition and prestige that can come with joining other, larger programs.
“I had never heard of UFV, ever,” Zacharuk said. “You always hear [about] the big schools like UBC, SFU, Kwantlen is not too far from my house, Douglas. So, you know the key ones, and then, UFV, I didn’t even look into it. When Rob contacted me, I knew it was out in Abbotsford somewhere and I was like ‘Oh! This could be interesting. Sure!’”
For some newcomers, UFV seems large and overwhelming, but they may be surprised to find that others get the opposite impression.
“First impression was, it was super small,” Zacharuk said. “But, I like that idea because sometimes, being in bigger crowds and stuff, I get anxious and I feel like I thrive in a smaller environment.”
Zacharuk’s positive outlook doesn’t only extend to the soccer program, but also the classes and the school itself.
“I like the appeal of the classrooms; [that] was a big thing for me. The soccer team itself seemed like a good fit for me, and I got along with Rob really well,” Zacharuk said.
Zacharuk also found a home in her academic life, in the arts.
“My first year, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Zacharuk said, echoing a common experience for many new students. “I took political science, sociology, psychology, which did not go well. I took astronomy which I thought was really cool, but I ended up [in] my second year, I was like, ‘You know what? I enjoyed history in high school, so I’m going to go with that.’ Then I could be a teacher, because I coach a lot and I think that connects to teaching very well.”
With a major in history and a minor in geography, Zacharuk says soccer and her aspirations of coaching have ultimately helped her discover teaching as a career path.
“I think [playing] soccer and transitioning into coaching has shaped what I wanted to do: to be a teacher.”
Photographed: Brittney Zacharuk
Image: UFV Athletics
