It feels like senior midfielder Zach Zengue was always destined for the big stage. As of Sept. 25, Zengue is ranked second in the nation in total goals and third in points, leading the Georgetown men’s soccer team to a 5-2-2, 1-0 Big East record, with standout performances against then-ranked No. 1 University of Vermont and ranked George Mason University teams. Zengue scored a hat trick against Butler University on Sept. 19 en route to a 5-0 win.
Zengue’s success was not always linear though. Zengue did not play in an organized soccer game until the age of 12. He grew up in Nigeria, Haiti and Sri Lanka, where there were no opportunities to play formalized competitive programs and limited resources for training.
“Not being in an organized system benefitted me a lot because I had the freedom to play however I wanted to,” Zengue told The Hoya.
Fast forward to Zengue’s senior year of high school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, a preparatory school in Faribault, Minn., and Zengue is captaining the school’s under-19 soccer team, a nationally competitive program.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zengue’s recruiting process was markedly abnormal. Colleges could not officially recruit Zengue to play collegiate soccer until the summer going into his senior year, making the process unusually overwhelming. Zengue said he sent his highlight tape and academic description to around 150 schools, with the goal of “trying to get recognized everywhere” without an idea of where he would end up.
After the quarterfinal game in a national playoff tournament with Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Georgetown University reached out, after which Zengue had a long conversation with men’s soccer Head Coach Brian Wiese.
“It was a very genuine, down to earth talk, and I didn’t get the same feel with other coaches as I did with Coach Wiese,” Zengue said. “I felt a connection when we talked, which sparked my interest.”
Zengue took a visit to Georgetown, where he instantly clicked.
“It just made sense for me,” Zengue said.
Zengue’s father, a former professional player and coach in Cameroon, also lived in Washington, D.C., which contributed to Zengue’s decision to choose Georgetown.
During a tough first-year campaign during which Zengue did not see the field as much as he wanted to, Assistant Coach Brian Bouhl introduced him to the practice of meditation and recommended the John Main Center for Christian Contemplation. Zengue said the center changed his life.
Meditation is something Zengue has implemented since that conversation. Since then, things started to turn in the right direction for Zengue: he scored his first two goals as a first-year in Spring 2023 in a tournament against Wake Forest University, secured a starting spot and was gaining confidence on and off the field.
“Everything after that felt like it started to fall into place,” Zengue said.
After a successful sophomore season, Zengue was drafted in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew in the second round as the 58th overall pick. This left Zengue with the difficult decision of either forgoing his junior and senior years or staying at Georgetown, and turning pro after graduation.
“All the people around me were telling me to go back for another year and get closer to graduation,” Zengue said. “I trusted Coach Wiese, my mom and other alums who are playing pro who want the best for me.”
Zengue had a similar sentiment after his junior season following a tough loss to North Carolina State University in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“I can’t leave like this,” Zengue said. “It didn’t feel right to leave after three years without making it to a final four or farther in the tournament than I had been.”
Wiese said Zengue was a key contributor to the team’s early successes this year.
“Zach evolved into a great leader for our team on and off the field,” Wiese told The Hoya. “This year he has proven to be a match winner for us in key moments which every great team needs.”
Now, Zengue is more confident than ever about this Georgetown team and has high aspirations.
“This is the best team that I’ve played on at Georgetown,” Zengue said. “I’ve done the Big East regular season, I’ve done the Big East tournament, and I want to win those again, but my goal this year is to make it to a final four and compete for a national championship.”
