TCP; NWAACC soccer wraps up season

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 6
Sports

NWAACC soccer season came to a close Sunday. Over the weekend, championship titles were awarded to teams.

Outstanding individual athletes and coaches were recognized and they took part in an All-Star match.

2013 NWAACC Women’s Soccer All-Stars from Clackamas were: South Region Coach of the Year Janine Szpara; South Region MVP Tori Roberts at midfield; Midfielder Claudia Flores; Defender Marci Haynes; and Keeper Melanie Trumbull. The Cougar All-Stars played for South-West in the 2-2 tie between North-East and South-West All-Star teams.

The winning women’s soccer team of the championships was Peninsula with a 2-1 victory against Edmonds on Sunday. Peninsula went undefeated in league this season.

Edmonds won their way into the final game with a victory on Saturday. That victory was a hard-fought, disappointing 1-2 loss for Clackamas. The Cougars subsequently placed third in the championships.

The ladies of Clackamas soccer are a classy and talented bunch. They were top in South Region and had an impressive season with 12-2-2 in league play. The Cougars have cause to be proud as they have proved to be one of the top teams in the league.

But luck was not on the Cougars’ side Saturday. The coin toss at the start of the game declared that Edmonds would kick off. The initial leverage of ball possession gave Edmonds a slight edge, putting Clackamas on the defensive early. Edmonds kept up the pressure.

Edmonds took a shot early in the first half that was deflected and went just wide, resulting in a corner kick. Shortly after, another Edmonds corner kick set up a header attempt that went over the Cougars’ goal.

A chill breeze and dark clouds rolled in momentarily, but the clouds passed and sun peeked back out. All-Star Claudia Florez attacked with a goal attempt that went over. The action flowed back towards the Cougars’ goal, Dija Kirkland took a hard fall while defending and a foul was called on Edmonds. Kirkland landed face-first outside the line and was down for a moment.

“She, like, kicked my ankle and I slid on the turf and twisted my ankle,” said Kirkland.

After the resulting free kick, Edmonds brought the attack back again, but Mecca Krutsinger tenaciously defended and deflected the ball. Then a corner kick by Edmonds brought a shot on goal, which Trumbull saved by smacking the ball away with both hands. Edmonds received another corner kick.

Edmonds sought another attack on goal and Trumbull showed how scrappy and resourceful she can be. With the pressure all on her, she saved multiple back-to-back, point-blank shots on goal. The Cougars used excellent teamwork and defense to stifle the attack. Trumbull was fired up. She yelled in triumph and pride for her team’s performance.

The Cougars picked up some momentum and started getting the better of the headers, defending and attacking. Towards the end of the first half, Marci Haynes showed solid defense as Edmonds attacked again. Then Edmonds shot, but it went over the goal.

The clouds returned and the sun was gone, dropping the temperature at 42 minutes on the scoreboard. As the first half neared its end, Tori Roberts took a great long shot that was just wide. It was 0-0 at halftime.

The second half began with an offside call against Clackamas. The play moved back toward Clackamas’ goal and a defensive slide tackle that looked like it hit the ball cleanly at first, was declared a foul, right outside the penalty box. Edmonds took an indirect free kick and managed to put together the first goal of the game. Clackamas was down 0-1.

Trumbull had a couple of really nice saves towards the beginning of the second half. The second attempt was a long shot that was set up by Edmonds, quickly driving up-line. On the offensive, Clackamas’ Marci Haynes intercepted and deflected an Edmonds’ pass and almost scored, but it went just wide. At 67:38 on the scoreboard, Haynes caught an assist from Roberts and scored after great teamwork and passing up-field. The score was tied 1-1.

“Tori crossed it and Marci shot and scored,” said Krutsinger

Trumbull showed more moxie and bravely challenged an attack by Edmonds, defending well. Then at 71 minutes on the scoreboard, Trumbull deftly saved a straight shot at goal. In an unfortunate turn of events, Carly Turner fouled while defending inside the Cougars’ penalty box. A direct penalty kick was awarded to Edmonds. Hannah Shouse took the kick and made it past Trumbull for her team’s second goal. Clackamas was behind 1-2.

“Defense was such a good effort, but when we messed up is when the goals happened,” said Krutsinger.

Shortly after Edmonds fouled just outside their penalty box at 75:16 on the board. Butler took the free kick straight towards goal. But Edmonds’ goalkeeper, Alecia Longsine, saved it. Tani Harr took another long shot later that was also saved. The Cougars were still battling, trying to attack and keep good defense. At 88:50 on the board, Kirkland showed more solid defense in front of the goal. A corner kick by Edmonds shortly after, turned into a shot on goal that was saved by Trumbull. Trumbull grabbed 11 saves throughout the game.

“I think it was really strong,” Flores said. “We fought all the way to the end, just couldn’t get a goal in, we couldn’t finish. We were fighting hard equally.”

The Cougars felt the sting of defeat as the match came to a close. Clackamas 1. Edmonds 2. Clackamas took third place. Edmonds lost to Peninsula Sunday and got second place.

“I thought we did good,” said Kirkland. “If we had done as good as we did against Spokane, we would have won. We tried.”

The Cougars played a strong game and had an inspiring run this season that brought them to the semifinals. Overall, they grew as a team and helped each other improve individually. Here’s to another great season turned in by the Clackamas Cougars women’s soccer team.

TCP; Cougars squash sasquatch, head to semifinals

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 5
Sports

Last Saturday the Cougars avenged a loss and earned a trip back to the site of that loss for the NWAACC Women’s Soccer Championship Semifinals.

Aug. 27 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash., was the Cougars’ first game of the season. There they were defeated by Spokane 1-2.

“We played them in the beginning, but we are a whole new team and have stepped up to another level,” said Clackamas midfielder Tori Roberts. “We knew number three was gonna’ be tough, but we’re not a one-man team, we play together.”

On home turf this time, the Cougars defeated their Sasquatch rivals 2-0 at OC’s Pioneer Stadium in a wild and spectacular match.

“The first 12 seconds really set the pace,” said Roberts.

Indeed it did, as just 12 seconds into the first stanza midfielder Hope Butler scored a statement-making goal that
sent the crowd crazy with cheers for the Cougars.

“It was Tori that took a shot and I capitalized on it,” said Butler.

Spokane’s frustration showed early, their reaction after the first goal foreshadowed the atmosphere of the rest of the game. The Cougars continued to employ excellent teamwork and solid defense when needed, but they consistently attacked.

Melanie Trumbull put on another goalkeeping clinic with strong defends and brave sacrifice saves throughout the game. With four saves, this was Trumbull’s ninth shutout of the season. She has 58 saves total.

Spokane managed to make Clackamas a little impatient halfway through the first stanza. The hard teamwork by the Cougars momentarily became overzealous as they booted the ball forward instead of passing and setting up plays. But Spokane became too aggressive and with three back-to-back fouls, sent the action back towards their own goal.

Cougars defender Carly Turner and midfielder Tahni Harr each launched well-placed slide tackles in the first half, continuing Clackamas’ tenacious defense. On the offensive again at 34 minutes on the scoreboard, Roberts found herself in front of Spokane’s goal. Facing away from the goal with defenders closing in, she caught a nice pass and turned 180 degrees to shoot it through the defense, right at the goal. The spectacular shot was defended, but kept up the Cougars’ competitive pace and wowed the crowd.

Defender Marci Haynes continued the attack with a good header goal attempt off a volley from a corner kick by Butler. At 40 minutes, head referee James Shields had to issue his first warning to the already heated Spokane assistant coach Jeff Srock.

The game started getting rougher and more physical. A foul was called on Clackamas and as Spokane attacked, Haynes launched the ball back up field with a stiff boot. Spokane took a couple shots in the first, but the score remained 1-0 at halftime.

The Cougars continued the second half with more constructive teamwork, good use of headers and defense against headers. The Cougars won the headers in the air and prevented Spokane from getting useful headers.

A melee broke out in front of the Cougars’ goal. Trumbull had to fight hard for the save and defended well, putting herself in the line of fire.

With 63 minutes showing on the scoreboard, a foul was called on Spokane’s Brittany Bruegeman and Clackamas was awarded a free kick. The foul brought Spokane their first yellow card of the match.

Spokane attacked aggressively again with a battle in front of the Cougars goal, but the determination of Clackamas fended off the attempt. Spokane’s team and their fans in the stands were becoming increasingly upset with the referees.

The rage turned belligerent at 69 minutes as Srock began verbally attacking Shields and questioning his refereeing. The Spokane assistant coach would not back down and Shields issued him a yellow card. Srock relentlessly continued, so Shields issued him a red card, ejecting him from the game and the field.

“We knew it was going to be a hard game,” said Roberts. “The other team didn’t think it was playing fairly but we kept our composure and I think that’s why we won.” 

Spokane was visibly frustrated, but still competitive as the game continued with the Cougars in the lead. On the defensive, Clackamas forward Claudia Florez shot in with a clean, well-timed slide tackle. Shortly after she found another tackle, but fouled. Spokane made their way towards the Cougars’ penalty box and sent a shot towards goal that was deftly deflected by the head of defender Stephanie Corea. Shortly after, Trumball saved a Spokane corner kick.

The second half continued on with Clackamas still winning headers and consistently defending. Spokane was still vocally upset with the referee. The score in the second was almost a stalemate. Then a free kick awarded to Cougar defender Carly Turner set up a long header by Butler that sailed perfectly into Spokane’s goal. The stands exploded with cheering voices.

“We’ve actually been practicing that a lot, [free kicks] working on diagonal balls,” said Butler. “As far as this game goes, we applied everything we learned in practice. This was by far our best team game.”

With 90 minutes on the scoreboard, the official game time kept on-field was counting down. Another fierce battle in front of the Cougars’ goal ensued and Clackamas defended again. The game ended with Clackamas emerging as the victor.

“I feel great,” said Roberts. “Now we’re in the final four.” 

The Cougars play Edmonds at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash., for the right to play in the final match of the NWAACC championship the next day at 3 p.m. Roberts predicts Walla Walla to be the team they will face.

“We were a lot more positive as a team,” Butler said. “As long as we play like we did today, we’ll do well.”

TCP; Cougars walk on water

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 2
Sports

The sun was shining on OC’s Pioneer Stadium last Wednesday afternoon. The Clackamas women’s soccer team beamed just as brightly with a 3-0 win against the Lakers of Southwestern Oregon Community College.

The Cougars attacked often, but couldn’t find clear shots. No. 4 Khadijah Kirkland made her way up-field early in the game and sent a nice cross in front of the Lakers goal but it went out. The Cougars continued to attempt offensive plays but the Lakers' goalkeeper Cassidy Crandall defended well. Crandall snatched a straight shot from No. 2 Hope Butler in the opening stanza.

Early in the first half, the plays were aggressive, but lacked set-up. Janine Szpara, the Cougars' head coach was on it, she instructed the team to use better tactics.

“Guys, stop running forward all the time, switch!” shouted Szpara.

Butler drove forward and passed to No. 8 Megan Luckenbach who found the ball right in front of goal. With the first of her two attempts at the beginning, Luckenbach shot, but Crandall denied the score. No. 17 Claudia Flores took two consecutive shots during the first half. The first attempt was halted with a save by Crandall and the next went just barely too wide. Later, Flores had a third attempt with a long shot, but it went too high.

After a foul by the Lakers, No. 5 Marci Haynes took a free kick for the Cougars that lobbed over the defense, but Crandall defended the follow-up. Shortly after, No. 11 Tahni Harr found herself in position to launch a long shot that missed, just barely too wide of the Lakers' goal. Goalkeeper Melanie Trumbull’s voice rang out clear from the opposite side of the field as her team marked-up for the Lakers' goal kick.

“Get to the ball first, you better get that ball first,” yelled Trumbull.

No. 20 Tori Roberts hustled in response to of Trumbull’s rallying cry. Roberts struck her third and best goal attempt of the first half. It was a solid shot, but went just wide and hit the outside of the net. After the Lakers next goal kick, No. 19 Olivia Thoroughman drove the ball to the penalty box, but Crandall stepped-up and defended the Lakers' goal aggressively.

The Lakers were able to take the action back to the Cougars' side of the field. Trumbull defended the resulting attack. The Cougars regained the offensive and towards the end of the first half, No. 9 Stephanie Corea struck a nice shot, but the tenacious Crandall saved it. The Lakers' goalkeeper seemed to home-in on everything the Cougars tried to slip past her. Crandall aggressively intercepted a pass to No. 10 Hristy Prado, then another long shot by the Cougars.

Although the Cougars controlled most of the first half, the Lakers' defense was enough to keep the score 0-0 at halftime.

At just 00:36 into the second half, No. 24 Taija Channel scored the first goal of the game.

“I didn’t play the first half, so I wanted to come out strong and make an impact on the team,” said Channel.

That was all the impact the Cougars needed to pick up steam. They were ahead, but continued to press forward retaining a tight hold on the 1-0 lead in the second half. Corea took another impressive shot, but Crandall saved it again. Flores stayed savvy as she attempted a couple more shots in the second half. Flores received a spot-on pass for her last attempt and Crandall just barely managed to save it.

The Cougars were still on the attack. At 69:00 on the official time, No. 12 Mecca Williams assisted a pinpoint shot by Butler for the second goal of the afternoon.

“Mecca did a really nice diagonal ball which was what we talked about at half,” said Butler. “Taija had a first-touch (to Williams) which allowed me to split the defense.”  

Still hungry for points in the final minutes and using smart positioning, Butler ran the ball towards the goal but Crandall defended. The Cougars still commanded a dominant lead of 2-0. Roberts had three goal attempts in the second half and at 89:00 on the clock, she assisted an excellent open shot on goal by Luckenbach. Her shot scored and the Cougars finished out the game with a 3-0 victory over the Lakers.

“I saw Tori, she gave a good ball right in the air to me, I took a good first-touch that set me up for the goal,” said Luckenbach. “There was a defender on my right side so I had to battle to get in front of her. The whole right side of the goal was open, so I took the shot.”

Last Wednesday was not only a convincing win for the team, but the ninth shutout this season for goalkeeping magician Trumbull. Crandall of the Lakers managed to grab 10 saves. The Cougars were still top of the South region after Wednesday’s game and they continue to build momentum towards an NWAACC title shot. Butler offered insight into their journey towards playoffs.

“We need to apply what we do in practice to games,” said Butler.

TCP; Cougars remain top in region

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Sports Editor
Chris Browarski, The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Volume 47, Issue 1
Sports

Cloudy fall weather was not able to drown out the character of the Clackamas women as they donned bright pink jerseys in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Last Friday afternoon, in a match at Oregon City High School’s Pioneer Stadium, CCC Cougars tied Lane Community College Titans. Clackamas No. 4 Khadijah Kirkland is pleased with their teamwork.

“It was our best game so far, especially as a team,” said Kirkland.

It seemed that the hard-fought, stalemate battle didn’t discourage, but brought out the competitive spirit in the Cougars. Clackamas has been successful this season, but they still see room for improvement as they continue to learn to work together. One of this season’s freshmen, No. 17 Claudia Flores, is excited about this opportunity.

“I think it’s a really good experience starting out as freshmen,” said Flores.

While the match remained scoreless through 90 minutes of play, both sides looked competitive as the top two teams in the South region squared off. The Cougars started off the first half eagerly with two shots on goal. Lane also had a couple of nice shot attempts early that were saved by Clackamas goalkeeper Melanie Trumbull.

Assistant coach Miriam Coto commented on Trumbull’s perseverance.

“Melanie works really hard, she’s really intense. We kind of have to tranquilize her sometimes, but she’s a good egg,” said Coto.

Clackamas continued their aggressive attack with eight shots in the first 45 minutes, four of them very close, but stopped by Lane’s goalkeeper Samantha Schoene. At halftime the score was still 0-0.

Early in the second half Lane took a wide shot that missed its mark. On the latter of two consecutive corner kicks, Clackamas’ No. 23 kicker, Tani Harr, had a nice shot on goal that was denied by Schoene. As tension rose with the back and forth battle, the Cougars attempted a goal, but were forced back to defense. Lane fouled on their attempt at goal, receiving a yellow card. The following free kick by Clackamas sent the action back up field.

“We played hard,” said No. 9 Stephanie Corea. “[It was the] first team we actually had competition against.”

At 63 minutes on the scoreboard, the sun suddenly emerged and Corea took a good shot at Lane’s goal. The Cougars were awarded a couple of free kicks towards the latter half of the game. On the second kick, No. 2 sophomore Hope Butler lobbed a shot towards goal from center, which sailed over Lane’s defense. It just barely missed, going slightly too high and over the goal. Lane attacked and attempted a long goal but missed.

Flores had a nice shot at about 78 minutes that was saved by Schoene. Lane No. 20 Maddi Barton kept the Cougars on their toes with two back-to-back long shots from center. One barely cleared over the goal at 90 minutes on the scoreboard.
As the referee signaled the end of the match, the score remained 0-0. Lane took two shots and had seven saves in the second half. The Cougars struck eight shots and no saves were needed.

“Even though it was a tie, we felt like it was a win in our hearts,” said Flores. “We want to win playoffs. We’re going all the way.”

Throughout the game, two yellow cards were issued to each team. The Cougars forced Lane goal keeper Schoene to make 11 saves total, showing their struggle scoring was not due to lack of effort on offense. Cougar goalkeeper Trumbull collected three saves of her own, for her eighth shutout of the season. The team is off to a great start towards a successful run at the playoffs.

“We’re excited to win NWAACC,” said No. 12 Mecca Williams.

Friday’s match put the Cougars’ record at 8-1-1, they remain the top team in South region and second in NWAACC league. It provided both women’s soccer teams with their first tie of the season and broke the Cougars’ six-game winning streak. It was the first non-winning game at home this year.

Their next game will be Friday, Oct. 16, 2013 at 1 p.m. at the OCHS Pioneer Stadium against Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers.

TCP; Strife ensues at Starfire Stadium

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Associate Sports Editor
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012
Volume 46, Issue 7
Sports

Roaring past Starfire Stadium Saturday morning in Tukwila, Wash., a train overshadowed a pugilistic battle of strategy and athleticism going on below. In the train’s shadow the women of Clackamas Community College were engaged in a battle of attrition against a strong, well balanced Spokane team.

The hard fought game ended in bitter disappointment for the Cougars with the Sasquatch ladies winning 1-0. With the victory, Spokane entered the NWAACC Championship to face the Peninsula Pirates, losing 3-2 on penalty kicks on Nov. 18.

“It’s a hard way to go out,” said sophomore forward Courtney Johnson. “I think we had to deal with the ref all game. Sometimes they’re just not on your side.”

The game was close and Clackamas had a good opportunity to win, but after the 90th minute mark had passed, their efforts were stifled not by the opposing team, but by a belligerent official call, on a negligible foul by Spokane.

While Clackamas was advancing the ball up field in amazingly dexterous coordination of teamwork, the referee decided to halt their progress by making them take a free kick over fifty yards behind the advancing ball.

Clackamas was defending well the whole game, and made consistent valiant attempts at scoring which could have eventually lead to frustrating their opponents and created a winning attack. The following result of the free kick was one of Spokane’s players standing close in front of the free kick to deflect it with a header aimed towards the Cougars side. The ball found a Spokane teammate who took advantage of the poor refereeing to score on surprised cougar defense signaling the end of the game and Clackamas’ run at the champion title.

“They did really good. I’m proud of my sister,” said Jordan Hollamon, sister of Kenzie Hollamon. “The ref call was just unlucky.”

Clackamas displayed a tank strength clinic of defense in the first half, frustrating the offensive attacks of Spokane.

At halftime the teams took cover escaping the rain under trees and tents. The scoreboard reflected the even 0-0 score. Clackamas kicked off for the second half and as the wind picked up, it seemed the Sasquatch offensive did too. With six corner kicks acquired through the campaign, the ladies of Spokane proved that they were there for a fight and wanted to score.

The Cougars had an impressive run at the NWAACC tournament, rivaled by few in the 2012 season. This season showed the consistency and dedication of the hard working women of Clackamas. With such a strong performance this year, Clackamas is sure to be even stronger in the years to come, with 13 potential returnees.

“I think they played a great season,” said Tyler Trumbull, father of goalkeeper Melanie Trumbull. “They improved and coach Janine Szpara helped a lot.”

TCP; Cougars emerge from mist to win

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Associate Sports Editor
Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012
Volume 46, Issue 6
Arts & Culture

A quiet haze fell over Oregon CitySaturday evening as the chill of fall enveloped OCHS Pioneer Stadium. Thrust in to an alternate dimension, the playing field morphed in to a Brigadoon time warp. A giant dolphin emerged out of the mist chanting and yelling, along with him were a pod of underlings entranced by his presence.

The NWAACC women’s soccer quarterfinal game against Shoreline was a surreal event for the Cougars, ending with a spectacular 1-0 finish in the 5th minute of sudden death overtime.

“Oh my gosh, it’s such a relief,” said sophomore forward Courtney Johnson on winning in dramatic fashion. “We’ve been working hard all season and it means the hard work pays off.”

The cold weather was an added inclement.

“We knew we needed to stay warm, so constantly during warm-ups we tried to stay warm and stretch,” said Johnson. “It’s definitely a change, but I think we adjusted well.”

The Cougars began with excellent short passes and teamwork to control the ball. Then, the Dolphins picked up momentum towards the end of first half. Clackamas showed a lot of fancy footwork despite the debilitating cold. Often times the Cougars flicked the ball effortlessly, passing it behind or to their side with surprising whip kicks.

Clackamas fired off some nice attempts at the goal during the last few minutes of first half and no score had been made by either team at half time.

The Cougars were amped up with an aggressive start to the second half creating good shots at the goal early. However, the rigid cold reflected the stalemate of the battle. The end of regulation time showed no score from either team resulting in a ten minute overtime of sudden death.

“That was one of the most hard fought good efforts I’ve seen,” added head coach Janine Szpara.

Suddenly the perfect opportunity to score opened up, as Kelsie Knight passed a laser assist to Tayler Ficek, who scored! Goal!

“I was in the right place at the right time,” said Ficek of the game winner.

The home crowd erupted with cheers for the Cougars’ victory.

“They played hard all year,” said fan Dan Scharbach. “Tonight they played aggressive and when they play aggressive they win.”

The Cougars talked a lot about how much work they have put in to get to this point. Now, they are only two wins away from the ultimate goal.

“We worked really hard every day,” said Ficek. “NWAACC Champions was the goal from day one.” The Cougars advance to face Spokane in the Final Four on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

TCP; Timbers win Cascadia Cup

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Associate Sports Editor
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012
Volume 46, Issue 3
Arts & Culture

Triumphantly taking home a well-deserved Cascadia Cup trophy on Sunday, the Portland Timbers celebrated a hard fought battle to a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver, British Columbia Whitecaps.

Sunday’s game marks the third time in the last four seasons that the Timbers have captured the Cascadia Cup. Last year’s title holder was the Seattle Sounders, but Portland topped the three city championship, showing their ability to be top team in the Northwest.

Supporters of the team, known as the Timbers Army, brought big energy to the game atmosphere from start to finish, erupting in a massive explosion of cheers, chants, flag waving, and just plain hooliganry.

It was an all-out war in the stands and on the field. The Timbers wanted more than just It was an all-out war in the stands and on the field. The Timbers wanted more than just their first away-game victory of the MLS season; they wanted to again hold the title of the best team in the Northwest.

Captain Jack Jewsbury’s soaring 30-yard goal would be the winning goal of the match, careening over the Whitecaps goalkeeper’s head neatly in the upper right corner of the goal.

The Timbers defended excellently during the back and forth battle for possession of the ball, in which solid shots on goal taken by Vancouver, but the Timbers defended with urgent effectiveness.

The Cascadia Cup victory comes on the heels of a mediocre season which saw the Timbers fall in the standings early in the year, eventually leading to the dismissal of head coach John Spencer.

His interim replacement, general manager Gavin Wilkinson, has coached the team since. Wilkinson has been at the helm during each year the Portland Timbers have won the Cascadia Cup.

The Timbers win brought a much needed sense of victory to the team and Timbers Army alike. Hoisting the huge cup of a trophy high, the men of Portland soccer returned home victorious!

TCP; Cougars kick it up against top teams

This article originally ran at www.theclackamasprint.com. Too see the original, click here.

David Beasley, Associate Sports Editor
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012
Volume 46, Issue 1
Sports

Cougar soccer is kicking in gear this fall, with six league wins out of eight games played, the girls of Clackamas hold the No. 1 rank in the NWAACC Southern Region. Pre-league games were eventful as well; the team was challenged for their first game of the year by currently undefeated, No. 1 ranked in league, Peninsula Community College Pirates. The 0-2 loss fueled the fire for a solid 1-0 win against another very successful team, Walla Walla.

Here's the current rundown for league games this season: The beginning of September brought a 0-1 loss to Shoreline Community College followed by a month-long winning streak including a 5-1 win vs Edmonds in which forward Tayler Ficek, scored four goals. The freshman forward from North Eugene High School has led the Cougars with an incredible scoring outburst so far this season. Ficek leads the NWAACC in scoring with 13 goals, only failing to score in CCC's three losses.

Two 2-0 wins against Lane Community College and Green River Community College led up to another high scoring game for the Cougars, as they dominated Southwestern Oregon CommunityCollege 5-0.

A home game against Skagit Valley Community College at the end of September produced a convincing 3-0 win with what coach Janine Szpara praised as a game with "good defense." The winning streak stretched into October, as the Cougars outplayed Clark Community College in another 3-0 home win. Melanie Trumbull, another freshman from North Eugene, has been a stalwart in goal for the Cougars, running off a streak of four straight shutouts in September. The trend of success was halted Friday by Whatcom Community College in a frustrating 0-2 loss.

Friday's home game against Whatcom was frustrating for the team because they had three solid shots on goal, one of which bounced off the goalpost in devastating geometrical defiance, signifying the last chance Clackamas had of turning things around from an awkward 0-2 score. The two goals scored by Whatcom were nothing to write home about, but were nonetheless scored. The first goal penetrated the Cougars' defense within five minutes of kickoff; as the girls from Whatcom saw an early opening and took advantage of Clackamas' slow start. The second goal came from a controversial referee call just outside the Cougars' penalty box, as a free kick was given to Whatcom and they were able to take advantage of the close proximity to score a goal.

Assistant coach Miriam Coto commented that the game was "Frustrating, and we need to step it up."

The Cougars are on the road again, and will soon be tested by two of the better league teams. If they pick up a couple wins, they should have the momentum as a team to bulldoze the remaining competition leading up to playoffs. They will have played every current No. 1 and 2 ranked team in the NWAACC, which gives them excellent experience in preparation for this year's upcoming playoffs.

The ladies of Clackamas Cougars soccer deserve support and appreciation. They are continuing the tradition of being one of the top teams in the league and are well on their way to making a good run at the NWAACC Championship this year. Join the hooligans and fans rooting for the Cougars at their next home game: Friday, Oct. 26 vs SW Oregon at 1 p.m. at OCHS Pioneer Stadium. The first round of NWAACC playoffs is Wednesday, Nov. 7.