Malcolm Zalayet (9) of Marin Academy controls a ball while defended by Kevin De Leon (15) of San Rafael in a non-league soccer game at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California on Dec. 13, 2022. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Malcolm Zalayet
Marin Academy boys soccer, junior
It didn’t take much time at all for first-year MA coach Irving Ventura-Rafaela to realize he had inherited a special talent in center forward Malcolm Zalayet.
“It was within the first training,” Ventura-Rafaela said. “It was very apparent the quality of player that he is and just his leadership on and off the field. It’s just so natural how good he is. He’s always a hard worker in training and in games, so he dictates the tempo at which everyone else plays.”
Zalayet scored 21 goals across all competitions this season to lead Marin Academy to a league title, an appearance in a section final, and the program’s third NorCal title since 2019. Marin enjoyed unprecedented success in boys soccer this season, with Terra Linda also winning a NorCal championship, leading the IJ to pick Zalayet and the TL combo of Kleber Maldonado and Liam Hadden as Co-Players of the Year.
“(Zalayet is) obviously physically gifted,” Ventura-Rafael said. “He’s strong, he’s explosive, he’s quick for his size. He’s smart and has the intelligence to see things that maybe other players don’t see. He’s technically gifted. He’s just a complete package of a player that you would want to have on your team.”
Among the highlights for Zalayet this season were game-winning goals against two of Marin Academy’s long-time rivals — University and Jesuit. Zalayet also put together a four-goal game in the NorCal semifinals as the Wildcats rolled to a 4-0 win against Piedmont.
In addition to being a prolific scorer, Zalayet contributed in many other ways with his ability to hold the ball up against multiple defenders and either create a shot for himself or for one of his teammates. His technical ability on the ball helped MA play a possession-oriented game, frustrating defenses that were usually unable to take the ball away from him.
“I try to be a striker that has a variety of options in what I want to do,” Zalayet said. “Be able to turn, lay it off, shield the ball, hold it up, flick it on, play through-ball combos.”
Zalayet has piled up 38 goals over the past two years and still has his senior season to add to that total.
— Ian Ross