Since the age of five, senior midfielder Zach Bolden has been in love with the game of soccer.
Born and raised in Denver, Bolden has been an avid soccer fan and player for 17 years and does not plan to stop anytime soon.

“As a kid, I mostly remember the joy I got from scoring a goal,” Bolden said. “It felt like the greatest feeling in the world when I first started playing and I couldn’t get enough of that feeling.”
With Bolden’s final college soccer season coming to a close, Bolden hopes to continue his career as a professional player after graduating from DU with a major in psychology and with minors in math and business.

“After college, I hope to live anywhere that allows me to play professional soccer. I’m not going to be picky,” said Bolden.

Bolden’s career at DU has been nothing but impressive. Leading the team in the midfield, Bolden has received multiple accolades in the past four years that have made him a standout player. Currently, Bolden leads the Summit League Conference with 17 points, scoring a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Oral Roberts that secured the Summit League regular season title for the Pios. One game remains before the Summit League Tournament, which gives Bolden more opportunities to lead his team to victory and himself to more personal successes.

Wins are important, but for Bolden, there is more to the game than individual statistics numbers on the scoreboard.

“I love everything about the sport,” Bolden said. “I love the competition, the teamwork, the flow of the game and the unpredictability of it. It takes more than athleticism to be great at soccer and in many circumstances, it takes outthinking your opponent in order to be successful. Soccer is continuous and it takes a whole team to be successful within the sport.”

“I love that you have to figure out the game while it’s happening, rather than being able to use timeouts or other types of stoppages to set up plays,” said Bolden.

Four years at DU has provided endless memories for Bolden, like losing his car freshman year, to making the NCAA tournament freshman year and watching the selection show with the team at Jordan’s Bistro and Pub. With life after college approaching fast for Bolden, words of wisdom, past experiences and a positive attitude will help pave the way for exciting new adventures on and off the soccer field.