Published: 10/21/2022 9:42:44 PM
Ethan Czaporowski always sought to measure himself against the highest level of competition on the soccer pitch.
That desire took the Belchertown native from his high school program as an underclassman to play with the Boston Bolts club team full time. The Bolts faced a national schedule that regularly crossed the nation’s best players and teams.
Now Czaporowski will join one of the nation’s premier college soccer programs and play in one of Division I’s toughest conferences. The senior committed to Virginia Tech on Thursday.
“I had a lot of options. I’m blessed to have a lot of options. Virginia Tech I felt like I fit in the most,” Czaporowski said Friday. “I’ve always needed that chance to play at the highest level. The Bolts gave me that chance to play against some of the best teams and the best players in the country. After that, I saw that I could play at that level.”
Virginia Tech has reached the last six NCAA Tournaments and won a national title in 2007. The Hokies are 2-11-1 this season but play in a league with five top-25 teams.
“They bring in some quality players. They keep the ball, which I like. I love keeping the ball, keeping possession,” Czaporowski said. “They’re also an attacking team. They give the forwards a lot of balls. They look to score, and I like that.”
Czaporowski was one of the region’s most dynamic forwards during his two years as an Oriole. He set Belchertown High School’s modern era scoring record with 21 goals as a freshman in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered his sophomore season before he decided to play for the Bolts full-time, driving to Boston four times a week for practice and regularly traveling to New York and down the East Coast for games and tournaments.
Virginia Tech first noticed Czaporowski at one of those showcases in Maryland. He’d been talking to other schools for longer but flew down the next week for an official visit. Czaporowski faced a bit of a time crunch. UConn and Vermont required a decision from him in two weeks.
The Hokies fit his visit into their schedule.
“They showed me they liked me, and I appreciated that,” Czaporowski said. “It was pretty quick. I was talking to some other colleges for longer than them.”
As far as the Bolts brought him, Czaporowski will always be from Belchertown and carry the flag for his town and the program.
“I still love all the guys on the team. I still support them,” he said. “They set me up, and the Bolts brought me to a new level.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.
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