Naylor uses indoor game to expand his soccer skills
In an effort to improve his all-around soccer skills, Zak Naylor of Anchorage has willingly moved positions with the Vancouver Victory indoor team.
But that doesn’t mean he has stopped scoring goals.
The 22-year-old has netted four goals in five games with the Victory despite moving to defense.
“It was my choice. I see more of the field and can pick out passes to my teammates,” he told me. “Indoor is a lot strategy and IQ, and I am learning a lot.”
Naylor, of South High fame, just wrapped up his college soccer career at Concordia University, where he scored 7 goals and 20 points in 34 games in two years.
Before that he was at Edmonds Community College, where he delivered 18 goals.
He’s always had a knack for finding the back of the net, but these days he’s more focused on stopping goals from being scored.
“The indoor field is a lot smaller, which means faster paced and a lot more intense,” he said. “Reminds me a lot of my hockey playing days with how physical it is and the ability to use the walls as your teammate.
“Overall it’s a very fun, fast-paced game that keeps you on your toes. A lot of the guys I played with Concordia are also on the team so we gel really well together and that makes for a good amount of success.”
But Naylor has a bigger goal in mind. He plans to attend an upcoming tryout for the Kitsap Pumas.
“Looking forward to Pumas tryout and taking my career professionally,” he said.