Timmy Pollak found his confidence late in 2019.
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The midfielder scored some critical goals in the second half of that season, including one against Crystal Lake South in a Class 2A Belvidere Sectional semifinal.
Lakes coach Kevin Kullby said Pollak’s confidence grew with each goal.
“A light went off, and he started to go at it and take people on and make something happen,” Kullby said. “It was fun to see at the end of the last year, and it’s good he’s gotten to show it this year.”
Pollak has been a top threat for Lakes this season, and he scored both goals in a 2-0 Northern Lake County Conference win against Grayslake Central in Lake Villa on Thursday.
The 5-foot-9 senior has a team-leading nine goals for the Eagles (6-1, 4-0). About half of those goals have been from distance, and both against Grayslake Central (4-2, 3-1) came from outside the penalty box.
“Kullby tells me to drop out and try to get those shots as much as possible, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Pollak said. “I’ve hit four or five outside the box already, so I’m going to keep trying to do that over the season.”
Just two minutes into the second half, Pollak scored his first goal from about 25 yards on a free kick. He placed the ball in the top-left corner, past Rams goalkeeper Brendan Kirkner.
In the 72nd minute, Pollak struck again from the same area after clever passing from teammates Evan Larsen and Eliam Mier.
“(Pollak), El and Evan all hoodwinked each other to allow the ball through so he could come into that spot,” Kullby said. “That shot has such pace on it, it just takes off his foot. The goalie has a hard time reacting to it.”
Kullby said Pollak knows when to accelerate and change direction in order to push the ball upfield. But it’s his accurate shot that stole the show and ultimately decided the game.
“That’s definitely what I practice the most, those long-range shots,” Pollak said. “I hope to get more of those and nail them in.”
It was his fourth multigoal game of the season. He had a hat trick in the season opener against Grayslake North. He also scored twice in wins against Antioch and Grant.
Pollak’s shiftiness makes him a perfect complement to Larsen, a 6-foot-4 forward committed to Saint Louis. When Larsen drew extra attention from Grayslake Central, Pollak was there to create scoring opportunities.
One of 15 seniors, Pollak said he knows he needs to play with confidence for the Eagles to win a conference title.
“It’s up to me and the other seniors to do what we have to do to make the game ours,” Pollak said. “We have to take those chances when we have them, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Kullby said Pollak’s confidence is sky-high after a strong start to the season.
“Nothing seems to faze him, no matter how the game is going,” Kullby said. “That’s something you can’t teach.”
Nick Frazier is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.