Garfield Soccer Is Family Affair -- 3 Zahajkos Involved With Undefeated Team

At home or in school, during the drive to the post office or at the grocery store checkout stand, the conversation is always the same, always about soccer.

Soccer permeates the Zahajko household and binds its members like so many strands of a spider's web.

Especially now that Garfield, the unofficial second home of the Zahajkos, leads the Metro League with a 6-0-1 record. The Bulldogs are the only undefeated boys soccer team in the league.

Should Garfield continue its winning ways, it will finish the season as the best in school history.

Alex, Sr., a native of Brazil, is the dad at home and the coach at Garfield.

Alejendro, 23, is the oldest of three sons. He never played for his father, choosing to attend Blanchet, but he is a Bulldog assistant coach.

Andrei, 18, is a senior at Garfield who is enjoying his best season of a standout four-year prep career.

Daniel, 3, is oblivious to his soccer-crazy siblings, for now.

"Soon, very soon, he'll be Bulldog," Andrei said. "I'll make sure of that.

"My mom was really hoping for a little girl this time around. Being around all of us is sometimes hard on her, but it's cool though. She's into soccer."

The Zahajkos (pronounced Za-hi-ko) have traveled the world in search of a good soccer game. They attended World Cup games at Stanford last summer.

Lately, their favorite games are at Memorial Stadium, where the Bulldogs play.

For the first time in at least 10 years, Garfield beat two-time defending Metro champion Seattle Prep 4-1 in the season opener. The Bulldogs have recorded three shutouts in six victories.

Andrei leads the Bulldogs with six goals.

From last year's 9-4-3 team that finished fourth in Division A, Garfield returns four all-Metro players - Andrei, Jay Harper and seniors Nick Potter and Per Johnson.

-------------------------------------------------------. Metro players to watch. . . Name School Pos. Yr.

Matt Diggs Lakeside F Sr.

Jay Ford Ballard MF Jr.

Jacobi Goodfellow O'Dea MF Sr.

Per Johnson Garfield D/MF Sr.

Justin Keokler Seattle Prep F Sr.

Nick Pietsch Roosevelt GK Sr.

Petras Tewode West Seattle F So.

Sean Tomlinson Seattle Prep D Sr.

Jeff Raymond Rainier Beach GK Sr.

Andrei Zahajko Garfield MF Sr.