Julian Pittaoulis is known as a jokester by his teammates on the Real Jersey FC 2004 boys team, but there was nothing funny about the goal he scored in the 67th minute of their U.S. Youth Soccer national final on Sunday.
Down 1-0 to Sparta United after already losing to them once in group play, Pittaoulis — a second half substitute — gathered an upfield pass from Dylan Petke, pushed past one sliding defender and after taking on another defender in the box unleashed a rocket that was precisely what his team needed in the moment.
“I’m seeing him take a big touch by the second to last defender he got by and then I see him going to goal so I kind of just let him do his thing,” said teammate Cade McGrath.