soccer

Beavercreek grad leads Crew Juniors to national title

Tyler Pollock scores the only goal to make history for his team as it claims the McGuire Cup.

Beavercreek High School grad Tyler Pollock with the U.S. Youth Soccer U19 national championship trophy. Contributed photo

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By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 10:38 AM Monday, July 26, 2010

Tyler Pollock began calling his buddies once his team clinched a spot in the U.S. Youth Soccer U19 national championship in Overland Park, Kan., wanting to make sure they knew he’d be playing for the title in high definition on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Not everyone subscribes to that network, of course, and the Beavercreek High School grad had a solution for those who didn’t.

“A few of my friends don’t have the channel, and I gave them the (key) code to our house so they could watch it there,” he said.

Those who tuned in to root for Pollock were treated to everything they could have hoped to see.

The Butler University sophomore-to-be scored the only goal in the Crew Juniors’ 1-0 win over the FC Delco Hammerheads of Pennsylvania on Saturday night, July 24.

The Crew Juniors became the first Major League Soccer academy team to claim the McGuire Cup in the 75 years it’s been up for grabs. And for Pollock and his mates, the win was redemption for a disappointing season a year ago.

“We had a great group of guys last year, but we could have done a lot more than we did,” Pollock said. “We picked up some new guys, and right away I knew we had what it took to win a national championship.”

The 6-foot-2 Pollock’s goal came on a header off a free kick. But he admits it took a bit of luck. “It skimmed off the top of my head, and the next thing I know, people are screaming,” he said.

Pollock, who was Butler’s fourth-leading scorer last season, also had the Crew Juniors’ only goal in the game that sent them to the championship. What’s more, in the Midwest Regionals held in the Dayton area in late June, he scored on a half-bicycle kick to keep his team from being eliminated in group play.

“He’s a hard-nosed kid who never stops running on the field,” Crew Juniors coach Brian Bliss said. “And he always seems to find a way to get the ball in the back of the net.”

Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125 or  dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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