Every once in awhile, there's a player whose achievements go beyond their four year collegiate career. A player who lives on through stories and legend. A player who etches his or her name in the record books, not with a pen, but with hard work and sacrifice, and etches it in there so dark that it may never come out. 

The IUPUI men's soccer team has one of them; a special one. His name is... well, his name was the tricky part from the beginning. In the record books, it will say Eduardo Cortes. But within the IUPUI family, and possibly on the back of a future MLS jersey, he will always be remembered as "Pollo".

"It came from my dad," Cortes said. "Throughout his life in Mexico, they called him pollo (spanish for chicken) because he was kind of skinny and ran like a chicken. When I grew up he started calling me pollito (spanish for little chicken), and as I got older it turned into pollo and just stuck with me ever since."

Everybody knows Eduardo as Pollo. Not everybody knows the real story behind it. Many thought it was because he was afraid of chickens. Others speculated that his hair was always gelled or mohawked in a way that reminded them of a chicken. 

It's the other way around. Chickens should remind everyone of Cortes in goal. 

"Sometimes chickens fly for a little bit," Cortes said. "They come back down, but for a second they can fly."

Ever try to catch a chicken? It's about as easy catching Cortes off guard in goal. Even when you think you have him cornered, he finds a way out. For example, take this penalty kick save in the 82nd minute to preserve a draw against the No. 8 team in the country. 



With 90 saves this season, Cortes has the third-most saves among NCAA keepers in 2015. Many of them are highlight reel material like this one. 

WIth 349 saves in his IUPUI career, Cortes will have the second-most all-time saves in IUPUI history. The third name on that list is at 290. 

On October 25, 2014, Cortes set the IUPUI mark for saves in a single game (16) against Western Illinois. He nearly did it again when he recorded 13 saves in a game this season against Omaha. 

With everything he's accomplished, the most remarkable thing about Cortes' success is his size. With the ideal goalkeeper build being tall and long, Cortes stands 5'10" with an undersized frame and an oversized drive. 

"I've been told a lot that if I was two or three inches taller that I would for sure be going places," Cortes said. "That's hard but it doesn't change that I've had to work hard all my life. You have to find different ways to get ahead with quickness, speed or awareness.

"I've been having a chip on my shoulder for a long time. That's what keeps me motivated. I do it for my family because they've provided for me and I just want to pay them back by working hard." 

His dream of playing professionally is the focal point of his post-grad mission, but Cortes will be the first in his family to graduate college, and he'll receive his degree in psychology this spring.

"That was his goal and his mother's goal when we recruited him," Head Coach Isang Jacob said. "With everything else that he's done on the field, knowing that he will graduate from college and then pursue his dream is great."

Another unique thing about Cortes is his distribution. Throughout his career, he's recorded multiple hockey assists where his drop kicks lead to counter attacks. He directs his back line the way a quarterback commands an offense. He sees the field and delivers the ball with pinpoint accuracy, usually by his unique "sidewinder" drop kick. 

"I'm going to miss his humor, his athleticism in goal, and most of all, his distribution," Coach Jacob said. "He starts our counter. I'm going to miss that side-volley kick when he just puts that ball on a dime." 

This Saturday (Nov. 7) marks the last time Cortes will take the field at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. In a 3 p.m. Senior Night match, Cortes and fellow senior Clint Hoffar will lead the Jags at home one last time. After that, the keeper known as Pollo will be a legend in IUPUI history.