Senior Spotlight: The pitch is Zander Moore's second home

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series dedicated to highlighting local senior athletes.

SANDPOINT — It’s hard to imagine Zander Moore’s life without soccer.

He’s been playing the sport ever since he can remember and it's become a part of him.

He started kicking balls into a 4-foot net and now he stars at forward for the SHS boys soccer team.

“It was just something I always looked forward to as a young kid,” he said.

Part of Zander’s love for soccer came from his older sister, Whitney, who played the sport. But most of it comes from the people he plays with.

Over the years the teammates he’s played with have kept him in the sport, Zander said, and he really enjoys being a part of something bigger than himself.

Zander is all about the team and relishes the opportunity to grow on-and-off the pitch with his closest friends.

Zander’s mom, Alicia Moore, said her son also did track and basketball up until high school, but his heart has always been on the pitch.

“I think it gave him a lot of self-confidence,” she said, “and I think it really molded the person that he is today.”

Alicia said soccer has taught Zander how to work with a wide variety of people, be driven and set goals for himself.

One of Zander’s biggest goals was to make varsity as a freshman and he did that, helping the Bulldogs take fifth at state in 2017.

“That was like a reality check for how the level is in high school because I was playing on the best team that had gone through the high school in a while,” he said.

The past two seasons, Sandpoint has had its hopes of making it to state ripped away by Moscow, but this year Zander said he can feel the program being built back up under second-year head coach Tanner French.

Through nine games this season, Zander has tallied five goals and two assists. He said the time he was forced to spend away from the game this spring and summer due to the coronavirus has made him eager to find the back of the net this fall.

“Playing in the same attacking position has made me a lot more attacking minded and looking for those goal scoring opportunities,” he said, “and I think just being hungry my senior year has made me want to push for those goals.”

Zander said he really started dedicating himself to the sport when the Sandpoint Strikers Academy was formed and he was about 9 years old.

“At that point, I remembered I always carried around a soccer ball with me wherever I went,” he said. “It was just something that came with me.”

One person has been playing right by Zander’s side throughout his soccer career and that’s fellow senior Chris Koch.

Zander said Koch is one of his best friends and they are bonded like brothers.

“We’re a packaged deal,” he said.

Zander enjoys doing pretty much anything outdoors and Alicia said her son constantly needs to be doing something and rarely sits still, and soccer fits that non-stop lifestyle perfectly.

Zander has a lifelong passion for soccer, but he doesn’t think he’ll pursue a collegiate career in the sport. The senior captain isn’t exactly sure what he wants to do after high school, but he’s thinking about going to a trade school and potentially becoming a wielder.

This past Friday was Senior Night for the boys soccer team. Alicia said she got emotional walking onto War Memorial Field and hearing Zander’s name being called out over the loudspeaker.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “It’s just knowing that it’s winding down and there’s not that much more to go.”

Zander said his mom is his No. 1 fan and he can’t express how much she has done for him over the years.

Alicia said watching her son play soccer is her favorite thing to do and turning trips to games into mini vacations was pretty common.

“It’s like our own little family,” she said.

Alicia said it’s going to take some time to adjust to not seeing Zander in a Bulldog uniform, but she believes he’ll never give up the sport.

Alicia said Zander works hard in everything that he does and she gets compliments all the time about his charisma and responsibility.

“I’m so proud of who he’s become,” she said. “He’s a great soccer player, but he’s also a great teammate and person.”

When this season ends, Zander said it will be strange not to have soccer in his life.

“It’s going to be sad that last game I play,” he said, “but it’s been a good run and I really enjoyed playing the years that I had.”