NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Ty Carrier knew nothing about soccer when he decided to give the sport a try in the eighth grade.
“I didn’t even know what the positions on the field were called,” Carrier said, chuckling.
(Pictured above, Ty Carrier/submitted photo)
But Carrier was talked into playing for the Redbank Valley junior high boys soccer team by his cousin, Seth Barrett.
“He was like, ‘You gotta come out for soccer,’” Carrier said. “That year I was just like, ‘Alright. Let’s do it.’”
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Carrier, a baseball player since he could first throw a ball and hold a bat, was very much lost on the pitch at first.
But he was very good right from the start at one thing.
Corner kicks.
“I placed it perfect every time,” he said, chuckling again. “That was my thing.”
It’s still his thing today.
Over time, though, Carrier’s soccer acumen grew. A midfielder and with a lot of explosive scorers around him, his job was to set up the likes of all-time Redbank Valley leading goal scorer Owen Clouse to find the back of the net.
And he’s done it quite well and regularly over the years, frequently enough to break the school’s all-time assists record, which had stood for more than 20 years.
Carrier, a senior, has 43 assists now in his days as a Redbank soccer player. And counting.
“I never thought this would happen,” Carrier said. “I didn’t even think it last year. It makes me feel great. I never thought I’d ever break this record. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Carrier admitted he didn’t study the game much when he first started. He just kind of showed up to the pitch, ran around for 90 minutes, took corner kicks and got credited with assists.
It wasn’t until recently that he has really taken a keen interest in the sport.
“I didn’t watch any soccer until the past few years,” Carrier said. “My buddy, Kieran Fricko, got me into it. I’ve started watching games with him.”
Carrier said the last skill he developed was with his shot.
“The past few years I’ve been getting better at it,” Carrier said. “My freshman year, I couldn’t touch the ball.”
Carrier said a lot of the credit for his assists record goes to players like Clouse, who finished for him.
Carrier’s main strategy on corners was to, “get the ball to the back post to Owen.”
That’s been a reliable tandem over the years.
“I love him as a teammate,” Carrier said. “He really helped me get this assists record with his goals. I just find him on corner kicks and through balls and he does the rest.
“Every time I make a pass — sometimes it’s good, but sometimes I shank one a little bit — when it’s good, I just have a good feeling that my teammates are gonna make the right decision and make the right touch and score a goal for our team.”
Carrier is hopeful the team can make a run to the District 9 title this season.
The talent is certainly there. But the Bulldogs face a tough slate of matches coming up.
“We are playing very well so far,” Carrier said. “These games coming up are really going to test how good we are and if we can play as a team. But right now I think we’re in good position to make it to our district championship. As long as we play our game, we’ll do fine.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
