BT����

Former University of Central Arkansas Bears men’s soccer player Logan Miller is no stranger to success, having experienced it on every level of soccer at which he has played. As such, it should come as no surprise that he’s succeeding again this season as the first BT����men’s soccer alumnus to play at the professional level in the United States with the United Soccer League’s Wilmington Hammerheads.

Miller, a native of Tomball, Texas, started his collegiate career in Colorado, earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors and Division II All-American honors during his freshman and sophomore years at Regis University. But something was missing.

“It really wasn’t a good fit for me, off the field,” said Miller. “And on top of that, I was looking for something bigger. I’d already been named an All-American, and the team had been ranked No. 1, so I was wanting more. My older brother, Ethan, was already in Conway, playing for UCA, and he would tell me how much he loved playing there. He would tell me how much fun he was having, and I realized that was what I was looking for.”

Miller wasted no time in making the move to UCA, transferring in for the spring semester his sophomore season and becoming a mainstay in coach Ross Duncan’s starting 11 for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. While at UCA, Miller continued to rack up accolades, earning All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in both of his seasons in the purple and gray.

“Having coaches who you like playing for and who you want to play for make the game so much more enjoyable,” said Miller of his time in Conway. “I just enjoyed every second of it.”

From UCA, Miller began pursuing his dream of playing professional soccer, moving to Seattle to play for the Kitsap Pumas of the Professional Development League. Miller helped lead the Pumas to an undefeated record of 10-0-2 and a Northwest Division title while scoring seven goals over the final five games of the season.

After suffering a foot injury in the offseason, Miller was picked up in January 2016 by the Wilmington Hammerheads Football Club of the USL. He has tallied a pair of goals in 15 matches played, including a game-winning goal in his first professional match for the club, a 2-1 Wilmington win over Orlando City B.

“Coming in, I wasn’t really sure about the level of play or if I’d be starting,” said Miller of his season so far. “It’s kind of like coming to college from high school. You think you know, but you really don’t. But I had a good preseason, and come game time I got the start and was able to net the game-winner, so it was a really cool debut.”

Miller has also taken the field against Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake when they faced the Hammerheads in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In front of 17,000 fans, the Hammerheads forced RSL to penalty kicks, before eventually falling to the MLS side.

“I didn’t start that game, but I came in around the 70th minute,” said Miller. “It was really cool being able to compare ourselves to the top level of American soccer and realizing, ‘Hey, I can play with those guys.’”

Miller and Wilmington currently sit in 10th place in the USL’s Eastern Conference, just a point back of a playoff spot.

As for Duncan, he couldn’t be more proud of the former Bear.

“There are so many obstacles along the way to being a professional,” he said. “Injuries, lack of exposure and opportunity, disappointment and a lot of luck all contribute. So to eventually make it on to a roster is an incredible accomplishment. And to step right into the starting lineup and make the impact that Logan has this season is astounding.”

Duncan continued, “Playing at the professional level is a dream for every player that comes through our program. Most players don’t understand the commitment and ability to take advantage of opportunities, though. Logan has both the commitment to drive himself into the right situation and the quality to take advantage of those opportunities when they came his way.”