No matter how many accolades she receives on the soccer field, Ally Zazzara doesn’t expect anyone to recognize her when she walks into the classroom each day. The redshirt sophomore mechanical engineering major keeps a relatively low profile aside from her University of Tennessee soccer backpack.
“I definitely don’t project as a soccer player in class,” Zazzara said. “I am not one to speak up. I sit in the front row, takes notes, and go on my way. I am not a big celebrity, and I don’t think anyone outside of a few of my friends even know I play for the team.”
Zazzara’s profile in the athletic world grew last fall after helping the Lady Vols finish the season strong with her goalkeeping abilities.
Zazzara was named College Soccer News Women’s National Player of the Week following her performance against No. 17 Xavier, where she recorded a career-high 15 saves to help secure a 1-0 double-overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Georgia native played the full 110 minutes and tied the program single-game saves record set by Sarah Shivley in 1996.
Zazzara appeared in all 20 games for UT this past season, making nine starts and finishing with 54 saves and a 0.740 save percentage. She did it all while balancing a heavy academic load with her engineering studies. The juggling act has been a constant learning curve since Zazzara arrived at UT in 2021.
“My freshman year I really struggled because I prioritize school, so if it comes to expensing a little less sleep to finish a homework assignment, you will find me in the library,” Zazzara said. “I am definitely going to dedicate time for school. But I think I did a better job of prioritizing my time this year so I can perform my best in both.”
Although Zazzara isn’t calculating the trajectory of shots on goal or conducting research during matches, it’s easy to tell she’s an engineering major through the way she operates on the field.
“She has an incredible explosive ability that allows her to pretty much be able to make any type of shot-stopping save, but I think the other piece that stands out about her is her incredible intellect,” UT goalkeeper coach Marty Baker said. “She processes things very quickly and keeps the defense organized in front of her. A lot of times how you use your mental attributes can separate you from a lot of goalkeepers out there.”
Despite the rigors of her classes, Zazzara never thought about majoring in anything but engineering.
“My dad is a machinal engineer and I have always been around it. It was the only thing I knew,” she said. “But it’s also where I fit with my logical thinking and planning out things. Once you talk to me, it makes sense why I want to be an engineer from the way I organize my thoughts and the way I speak.”
The UT soccer coaches never tried to dissuade Zazzara from pursuing an engineering degree during her recruiting process. They realized it may require some flexibility and occasional conflicts with classes and practices.
“The coaches were super receptive. They even had me meet with an engineering advisor on my visit,” Zazzara said. “I think people underestimate the amount of work you have to put into classes to get good grades. But they are very supportive of me being in engineering and the amount of work I have to do.”
Allowing student-athletes to chase all their academic and athletic goals simultaneously is something the UT soccer coaches prioritize.
“We obviously understand that while a player comes here for the opportunity to compete for championships on the field and play the game at a high level, they also come to get a high-level education,” Baker said. “It’s incredibly important, and if they want to benefit from a high-level engineering degree, as long as they are able to make it work, we are not going to discourage them from it.”
Zazzara, a two-sport athlete who excelled in soccer and basketball in high school, became a full-time goalkeeper in the fifth grade. She attended a soccer identification camp at UT and her high school goalkeeper coach was former Lady Vols goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson.
“Once I took my visit her, I committed because I fell in love with the school,” Zazzara said. “It just fit all the right things for me. It’s not too far from home, it has a big-school environment, great coaches and great academics.”
After spending the last two summers interning with Georgia Power, Zazzara will be staying in Knoxville this summer to serve an internship with American Accessories International.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to apply all I have learned in engineering. It’s structured, but also allows me to be creative with the design side,” Zazzara said. “It’s something I really wanted to do, to create things out of nothing and provide products and services for companies. It’s a very customer-facing role. It fits all the boxes.”
Zazzara is currently preparing for the spring season with the Lady Vols. Getting the chance to make clutch saves in big moments has filled her with more confidence and memories that will last a lifetime.
“It’s exactly why I came here to play,” she said. “My dad said, ‘if I had told you three years ago, you would be starting in the NCAA Tournament and playing games in the SEC Tournament and making all these huge saves, you would have immediately signed yes on a paper.’ If my soccer career ended tomorrow, it would be more than I ever imagined.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)