Following Temple’s 2024 Temple spring season, Nikolai Zapolskikh went back to his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoping to unwind. The rising sophomore defender had just finished his freshman year where he played 12 games in head coach Bryan Green’s rotation.
Zapolshkikh spent the year learning the ropes from fellow defender and upperclassmen Kemali Green during his first season. He watched what Green did and took all his advice as tough love and hoped it would translate to the field the following season. But first, he just wanted to relax back home for a few months.
Instead, Zapolskikh found himself restless and itching to get back on the pitch. The competitive edge led him to spend his days running on the beach to stay in peak condition and playing pickup soccer to stay loose. The preparation paid dividends this season, earning him a spot in the starting rotation and becoming a leader on the team.
“What I do now is a replica of what I saw with Kemali [Green] and the other seniors,” Zapolskikh said. “It comes natural and I did this last year, but as a sophomore, I feel like I have to do it more. I have to be able to go up to the guys and say ‘Hey you did this good, but we could do this better.”
In only his sophomore year, Zapolskikh relished the challenge of being a leader on the team by using lessons he received from older players and turning them around to help incoming talent. Now he finds himself as one of the key players in head coach Bryan Green’s rebuild and an anchor of the Owls’ defense.
When Zapolskikh first stepped on campus, he relied on upperclassmen to help build his confidence. He used how he felt when he joined the team as fuel to do what the older players did for him, so they could be comfortable in a new setting.
Zapolskikh emphasizes making sure the freshmen remain confident in their abilities while upholding the lessons upperclassmen taught him. Constructive criticism is essential in the growth of an athlete and Zapolskikh knows it’s his turn to step up and be that voice for the new guys, he said.
“One of the things we have in common is [Nikolai] is a guy who likes to defend, be a dog, and get the job done,” Kemali Green said. “He’s like a little brother to me so that makes everything on the field much easier.”
While learning from players like Green has helped, Zapolskikh’s development began before he even started at Temple. He spent time playing for MLS Next club Orlando City SC, which gave him a front-row seat to see what it means to be a professional soccer player.
Despite just being a high school student, Orlando City treated Zapolskikh like a professional. Whether it was how he prepared or how he treated his training, he was able to hone his skills against the best at his age to help his transition into college.
“Because I was in that environment, I know what it takes to get to the next level,” Zapolskikh said. “Transitioning to college soccer, I knew to be professional and to take care of my body.”
The experiences helped him carve out a role on Temple’s roster once he joined in 2023 where he was able to find his footing during Bryan Green’s first season. He appeared in 12 of the Owls’ 15 games and logged one 90-minute game, but it was his maturity that stood out to the coaching staff.
Zapolskikh’s freshman season was nothing to write home about but it gave him something to build on. The coaching staff challenged him to pick up where he left off following the year, and Zapolskikh took the challenge and ran with it.
His trip back home during the summer allowed Zapolskikh to improve on the skills he needed to in order to be a bigger focal point heading into his sophomore year.
It paid immediate dividends, with Zapolskikh not only starting every game but he has logged four 90-minute outings through 15 games. He has also logged the fourth most minutes with 914, trailing only Kemali Green, who has 1224, defender Diego Diaz with 1061 and Lukas Egarter with 958.
“We’ve had a lot of consistency with Nikoali and Kemali starting nearly every game,” Bryan Green said. “They know what each other are doing and they aren’t learning on the fly.”
Zapolskikh has two years left at Temple and the program has been on an uphill trajectory. They were one point shy of making its first American Athletic Conference tournament since 2020. This season, Zapolskikh had higher expectations for the group he has helped take command of.
The Owls’ four wins have surpassed their win total from last season and Temple has yet another chance to end its postseason drought. Zapolskikh’s efforts have been one of the driving forces behind it, often aiding a dormant offense that has recorded just nine goals all season.
Once the team begins to develop experience, Zapolskikh wants the team’s mindset to be focused on having a winning record and getting to compete in the AAC tournament.
“I can see ourselves pushing to win the regular season conference and even going to the NCAA tournament,” Zapolskikh said. “But first, I want to focus on making playoffs and winning playoffs. Even this year, I think we can do it.”
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