M. Soccer: Brown’s bicycle kick powers Tar Heels

When Zach Loyd hurled a throw-in toward the Evansville box late in Sunday’s contest, Cameron Brown simply hoped it would land nearby.

On the North Carolina sidelines, coach Elmar Bolowich watched as the ball did just that — but at an angle likely too low for a clean header. Bolowich figured the midfielder would settle the ball with his body and turn on goal. But Brown had other plans.

As long as he’s been playing soccer, the junior had dreamed of performing a bicycle kick in a game. Brown had attempted one or two before in matches, but never quite like this.

As Loyd’s loft descended into the Purple Aces’ 18-yard box, Brown threw his body into the air. Oddly enough, the throw didn’t create much of an aerial stir — as practically no Evansville players contested the ball.

The lack of congestion allowed Brown to go fully parallel with the ground, raise his right leg over his head and boot the ball with authority toward the goal.

“In midair I’m hoping I don’t miss the ball and look like a complete idiot,” Brown said. “When I hit it, I was hoping I had enough angle for the ball to go backpost. The ball kind of went down the hill, but the keeper was slightly over. I got enough direction on it to make it go far post.”

Evansville’s goalkeeper, Phil Boerger, tried unsuccessfully to get a hand on Brown’s piece of magic, but Boerger, too, seemed awestruck. The play was just that mesmerizing. Brown’s bicycle kick had gone briskly into the lower left corner.

“His second goal was just spectacular,” Bolowich said. “In terms of execution it was beautiful. It was a well-executed bicycle kick.”

Immediately after the shot went in, Brown sprang up from the pitch and began shouting with excitement. His face lit up as he charged toward the right corner flag. The crowd was in hysteria, and Bolowich stood filled with surprise — not expecting a bicycle attempt from such a low point in the air.

“(Brown is) great, technically, and you can expect those things from him,” midfielder Michael Farfan said. “You see it all the time in practice, so it’s no surprise to us.”

Since Brown began playing at UNC as a freshman in 2007, such creativity has been a staple of his game. Throughout the season, he watches YouTube clips of soccer’s finest — including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — and tries incorporating their moves into his game.

At times, his antics have led to easy takeaways and counterattacks for the opposition. But on other occasions, like Sunday, he puts together a beautiful move or shot.

The thing was, it wasn’t Brown’s only goal of the game. Much earlier during the first half, the junior settled on the left side of the field and struck a shot toward Evansville’s left corner. The near-post shot was from a lengthy distance, but Boerger was still not up to the task.

Although Brown’s second goal — part of his first-ever multiple goal game — was unstoppable, this blast was much more reasonable. It, too, found the back of the net and gave the Tar Heels an early 1-0 lead.

But when Brown looks back on this weekend, his focus will likely be on the latter goal.

“It’s going to rank as one of my best memories here, one of my best goals here,” Brown said.


Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.