It is not unusual for athletes to refer to their teammates and coaches as ‘family.’ This is regardless of their age, level, or the sport they play. While the Cabrini men’s soccer team– primarily comprised of players from all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey- has become a family over the course of year, there are two players who share a much closer family bond.
Growing up in North Wildwood, New Jersey, Sal and Anthony Zampirri learned to love the sport, playing together at every level. After never winning a championship together throughout the soccer ranks, on Nov. 4, 2017, the brothers finally captured that elusive title as teammates.
“Winning a championship together for the first time just felt incredible,” Sal, the eldest of the Zampirri duo, said. “Our whole family was out for the game, it was a blast.”
It was a long time coming for the duo, as they grew up playing the game from a young age.
“I started when I was about four in the tots soccer leagues,” Sal Zampirri, a junior mid-level education major, said. “I really liked it, it was my favorite thing to do. Then I started going into club ball and more important soccer when I was eight.”
As the Zampirri boys grew up and got to play at more competitive levels, they began to develop their identity as leaders on their clubs.
“Growing up, Sal was usually always the captain of the teams I’ve played for with him,” Anthony Zampirri, a freshman business major said. “In high school, I was the captain for my junior and senior year when Sal [graduated] and I shaped how I played from how he played. Obviously, we don’t play the same position, not even close, but I look up to him for his leadership qualities.”
Sal Zampirri echoed the same sentiment.
“We have been through a bunch of things together on the soccer field,” Sal Zampirri said. “Pretty much any big memory I remember, he was there for it.”
Before their recent CSAC championship, each brother only had one championship title under their belts. Sal Zampirri won the CSAC title with Cabrini his freshman year and Anthony won the Cape Atlantic League Championship during his senior year of high school.
Regardless of how dynamic the duo was out on the pitch together growing up, they never did win a title together.
“I loved high school soccer but when it comes down to it, it hurts when you can’t win any games,” Sal Zampirri said. “You can pat the stats all you want in high school but there is always that empty spot if you don’t win something.”
“In high school, we could never come up big against our rival schools. They would have a bunch of kids from club soccer teams where our team was mainly just me and Sal,” Anthony Zampirri said. “We would always play teams in our South Jersey bracket and we could beat everyone else but we always come up against one of the best teams in the state and we always lost that game.”
Even though the desire to win a championship with his brother was a factor in Anthony Zampirri’s decision to come to Cabrini this past fall, it was the school’s size that sold him on the idea.
“I went through normal recruiting for soccer when I was in club soccer and all the tournaments,” Anthony Zampirri said. “I just ended up deciding Cabrini was the best choice out of all the schools, mainly because it was a small school and I went to Wildwood Catholic where there was, like, 130 kids.”
While Sal ended up playing and starting all 21 of the Cavaliers’ games this season, Anthony Zampirri only ended up playing in five, four of which he started. The brothers know that this is not unusual for freshmen.
“I am kinda along for the ride but at least I can say I had some part in getting point in the CSAC,” Anthony said. “I am hoping that as the years go by I can become more of a leader role in winning games in the CSAC and maybe have the role Sal Zampirri has by junior year.”
Just like his brother, Sal Zampirri won the CSAC his freshman year despite not playing much.
“You kinda feel like you’re just along for the ride when you’re a freshman,” Sal Zampirri said.
“Even though I did start that CSAC championship my freshman year, I just felt like the older guys on the team were motivating me the whole way through and showing us what to do, and I never experienced that before, but this time it felt like me and [Matt] Ochman were the older guys on the team and lead the march. We had that experience winning one before, we knew what it took and we were just trying to get everyone on board.”
At the end of the day, the brothers were a part of one of the greatest soccer teams in Cabrini history. The 2017 Cavaliers men’s soccer team won an NCAA tournament game for the first time in program history on Nov. 11 when they took down Rowan University 1-0 in overtime.
Even though the team fell 2-0 to Johns Hopkins University the next day, they have a lot to be proud about
and a lot of expectations to meet in 2018, Sal Zampirri’s final season in college soccer. You can bet that he’s excited to have the opportunity to repeat as CSAC champions and possibly make even more noise in the NCAA tournament with all his brothers, but especially his blood brother.
“Obviously it’s always fun to play together and we’re on the highest level now,” Sal Zampirri said. “We’ve been through it all together and it’s nice to have him here in the final step with me.”
