Cam Lindley
GoHeels Exclusive: Risk-Reward Pass Pays Off For Lindley, Heels
November 26, 2017 | Men's Soccer, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
CARY, N.C. – With about eight minutes left in Saturday's match and the North Carolina men's soccer team clinging to a 1-0 lead over SMU, James Pyle fired a goal kick downfield.
Jelani Pieters corralled the ball near midfield. He then flicked it to Cam Lindley, who stood just beyond the halfway line with his back to SMU's goal. The sequence, at first, seemed rather mundane. But if you looked away for even a second, you missed what happened next.
As Lindley gathered the ball, Pieters sprinted down the nearby sideline. Lindley then led Pieters with a backward pass off his right heel, creating enough space for Pieters to dribble freely before scoring from just inside the 18-yard box.
"In practice this week, we focused on if I can get it, handle it and knock it out the other way …" said Lindley of his assist. "So I took a chance, and it's one of those risk-reward passes. If it pays off, it's going to give us results. I got lucky, and Jelani made a great run and an individual effort like he's been making all year. (It was) a big time to do it."
The moment proved decisive in the Tar Heels' 2-0 victory over the Mustangs at WakeMed Soccer Park. With the win, UNC reached the NCAA Championship quarterfinals for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons, the most appearances by any program in that span.
Yet the match, specifically Lindley's assist, carried additional significance.
Lindley's assist marked his 12th of the season. That broke Enzo Martinez's single-season record (11 in 2011) for most assists by a Tar Heel under coach Carlos Somoano, who assumed his position in 2011. Lindley's 12 assists are also the most by a UNC player since Matt Crawford set the school record with 16 in 2002.
"His ability to pass the ball is unique; it's special," said Somoano of Lindley. "He brought it with him to Carolina. I'd love to be able to tell you that we taught him that, but we didn't. It's just a natural gift when you see somebody who can see the field that way and technically deliver it.Â
"My job and our job is to get him on the ball as much as possible, but it's also his job. He's got to work hard to get on the ball, and that's what he does. He's working hard to be on the ball and set the tempo."
But Lindley has also shown he can be effective when he doesn't handle the ball.
During the Tar Heels' 2-1 win over UNCW in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Nov. 19, Mark Salas sent a pass down the right sideline that rolled toward Lindley and Zach Wright. Lindley acted as if he was receiving the pass. But as it neared him, he pulled back and allowed the ball to reach Wright, whose defender had gravitated toward Lindley.
With the extra space Lindley manufactured, Wright subsequently sent a cross into the box, where Pieters buried the ball in the back of the net to hand UNC a 1-0 lead.
"I would give Cam an assist, and he didn't even touch the ball …" said Somoano on Saturday of Lindley's play against UNCW. "It's more than the numbers on the piece of paper. It's somebody who believes in what we're doing, and we believe in him. When those things go together, you have a good team.Â
"But in the end, I don't want to focus on the stats. I want to focus on what we need to do to win games. And I think that's what Cam is doing."
Â
CARY, N.C. – With about eight minutes left in Saturday's match and the North Carolina men's soccer team clinging to a 1-0 lead over SMU, James Pyle fired a goal kick downfield.
Jelani Pieters corralled the ball near midfield. He then flicked it to Cam Lindley, who stood just beyond the halfway line with his back to SMU's goal. The sequence, at first, seemed rather mundane. But if you looked away for even a second, you missed what happened next.
As Lindley gathered the ball, Pieters sprinted down the nearby sideline. Lindley then led Pieters with a backward pass off his right heel, creating enough space for Pieters to dribble freely before scoring from just inside the 18-yard box.
"In practice this week, we focused on if I can get it, handle it and knock it out the other way …" said Lindley of his assist. "So I took a chance, and it's one of those risk-reward passes. If it pays off, it's going to give us results. I got lucky, and Jelani made a great run and an individual effort like he's been making all year. (It was) a big time to do it."
The moment proved decisive in the Tar Heels' 2-0 victory over the Mustangs at WakeMed Soccer Park. With the win, UNC reached the NCAA Championship quarterfinals for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons, the most appearances by any program in that span.
Yet the match, specifically Lindley's assist, carried additional significance.
Lindley's assist marked his 12th of the season. That broke Enzo Martinez's single-season record (11 in 2011) for most assists by a Tar Heel under coach Carlos Somoano, who assumed his position in 2011. Lindley's 12 assists are also the most by a UNC player since Matt Crawford set the school record with 16 in 2002.
"His ability to pass the ball is unique; it's special," said Somoano of Lindley. "He brought it with him to Carolina. I'd love to be able to tell you that we taught him that, but we didn't. It's just a natural gift when you see somebody who can see the field that way and technically deliver it.Â
"My job and our job is to get him on the ball as much as possible, but it's also his job. He's got to work hard to get on the ball, and that's what he does. He's working hard to be on the ball and set the tempo."
But Lindley has also shown he can be effective when he doesn't handle the ball.
During the Tar Heels' 2-1 win over UNCW in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Nov. 19, Mark Salas sent a pass down the right sideline that rolled toward Lindley and Zach Wright. Lindley acted as if he was receiving the pass. But as it neared him, he pulled back and allowed the ball to reach Wright, whose defender had gravitated toward Lindley.
With the extra space Lindley manufactured, Wright subsequently sent a cross into the box, where Pieters buried the ball in the back of the net to hand UNC a 1-0 lead.
"I would give Cam an assist, and he didn't even touch the ball …" said Somoano on Saturday of Lindley's play against UNCW. "It's more than the numbers on the piece of paper. It's somebody who believes in what we're doing, and we believe in him. When those things go together, you have a good team.Â
"But in the end, I don't want to focus on the stats. I want to focus on what we need to do to win games. And I think that's what Cam is doing."
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Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
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