He's one part of a two-headed goal-scoring machine. He can play center-midfield or help on defense.

But Ryan Zarichnak's biggest role this season for the Slippery Rock High School boys soccer team might be off the field.

The senior is one of three team captains who saw their season nearly implode before the first kickoff.

Their coach last season, Derek Gallo, quit a month before school started this year. As the 2004 season drew closer and the Rockets still didn't have a coach, Zarichnak and the other senior captains, Drew Craig and Greg Walter, got together.

"When school got close and no one had applied, we talked," Zarichnak said. "I said, 'This is going to be on us.'"

So far, so good.

Slippery Rock is 2-0 and Zarichnak is off to a rousing start.

He set a school record with six goals in a 13-0 rout of Saegertown last week. Last year, he found the net 26 times to share the scoring lead with Craig.

"It was pretty cool," Zarichnak said. "We never played that team before, so we had no idea what to expect. We just played our butts off no matter what the score was and took it to them. It's good when other teams see that score in the paper. It intimidates them."

Zarichnak and Craig were both Elite 11 selections by the Butler Eagle last season.

But it was another Craig that inspired Zarichnak to become a prolific goal-scorer.

As a freshman, Zarichnak played with Matt Craig, Drew's older brother, who set a school record of his own with more than 100 goals in his career.

But Matt Craig never scored six goals in a game. His game-high was five.

Zarichnak was a defensive player as a freshman, but he aspired to the kinds of goal and assist numbers Matt Craig did.

"He was definitely a guy I looked up to as a freshman," Zarichnak said. "I hope the freshmen now look up to me in the same way."

They could because Zarichnak is basically a player-coach this year, along with Drew Craig and Walter.

Anthony Buzard eventually took over the program, even though he has little coaching experience. He told Zarichnak, Craig and Walter that the onus was on them to lead the team early.

"I pretty much relied on what they were telling me," Buzard said. "I didn't know any of the seniors at all, and that was kind of tough.

"I approached them and asked them what their team goals were and asked them a lot of questions. I told them, 'This is your team, your year. Give me honest answers because you are just hurting yourself if you don't,'" he added.

The three seniors were honest, speaking of the team's penchant for advancing to the playoffs only to get bounced in the first round, like they did last season in a loss to General McLane after a 16-4 regular season.

Zarichnak is taking the role seriously.

It's a far cry from when he was a freshman - quiet, reserved and timid.

"My confidence is probably the biggest thing that has improved," Zarichnak said. "When you are an underclassman, you are afraid of things, afraid to mess up."

Zarichnak is also versatile. When he plays for the Northern Steel soccer team in the summer, he usually plays defense. As a member of the Strikers, another off-season soccer team, he plays defense, forward and midfield.

"I've played just about every position on the field," Zarichnak said.

That versatility has given him a unique perspective in his role as mostly player and sometime coach.

"That's helped a lot, too," Buzard said. "He helps out on defense and has had such a great attitude."

It doesn't hurt that Buzard's three captains have considerable talent on the field as well.

"I was pretty impressed with Ryan from the beginning," Buzard said. "He has very good skills and can shoot from anywhere. And he has great ball control.

"That's what makes (Zarichnak and Craig) so good. They can both dribble the ball and create scoring opportunities for everyone else."

It also doesn't hurt to have a goalkeeper like Walter in net.

"We talked in school one day," Zarichnak said. "Greg said if I score one goal a game, he guaranteed we would win. He feels like he can get a shutout every game. He's such a lifesaver for us."

Zarichnak would certainly settle for a goal a game. Six, though, wasn't too shabby, either.

"I was really nonchalant about it," Zarichnak said. "I tried to let everyone else score, too. I had no idea I scored that much, though. It's nice."