Men’s soccer falls short in playoffs

What had seemed like a dream year for Clark's men's soccer team ended Nov. 9, as the Penguins fell to Olympic College 1-0 in the first round of the NWAACC Soccer Championships.

The loss cut short aspirations for the Penguins to make it to the championship round, after the team had enjoyed one of its best seasons in the last few years.

Head coach Biniam Afenegus said that despite the way the season ended, this year's team stepped up and played hard. The Penguins finished with a 9-1-4 conference record and took fourth place in the NWAACC.

"It was a fun year," Afenegus said, "but it was disappointing how we ended it."

Clark's statistics favored it over Olympic, and the Penguins demonstrated superiority during the entire game, according to Afenegus. He cited not being able to finish in front of the goal as the deciding factor.

"We missed three or four one-on-one chances," Afenegus said. "When you miss those opportunities, they come back to haunt you."

After the game, Afenegus talked to the players and tried to focus on the positives of the season, asking his squad to recall all they'd accomplished this season.

"Talking to them after the game could be the hardest thing I had to deal with," Afenegus said. "I told them, ‘Hey, I am proud of you, it is hard, and we just weren't lucky today.'"

Freshman midfielder Isaiah Escobedo said the team deserved to go further into the playoffs, and that every single player worked extremely hard during the season.

Afenegus felt that this year could have been the season for Clark to relive the 2007 NWAACC Soccer Championships, in which the Penguins captured the title. He said that the solid defense, combined with the best offense he has seen while coaching at Clark, could have taken the team a long way.

"The last six games the team was scoring so many goals; everything was going our way," Afenegus said. "We even scored nine goals in the last game before playoffs."

Clark's performance this season paid off. The Penguins contributed six players to the NWAACC All-Star Game in Tukwila, Wash. Nov. 20, sending more than any other team did in the tournament.

"The All-Star game was a recognition for the players," Afenegus said. "They deserved it."

After having had 19 freshmen on a 27-man roster, Afenegus said next year there will be a lot of returning talent. He added that he will try to add some key players to the team, especially in the defense, which sophomores dominated this season.

For the players that are leaving Clark in the spring, Afenegus said that most of them have a chance to play for a four-year university. He said he thanked them for their sophomore leadership.

"I appreciate what this year's sophomores have done for our program," Afenegus said.

The head coach said that his team will start weight-training winter quarter, and that the process of preparing for next season has already started.

"The process is year-round, at least for the coaches," Afenegus said. "We are already trying to recruit players for the next season."

Escobedo said that even though Clark didn't win the championship, this year taught the team a lot.

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger," Escobedo said. "Our squad is ready to play, and the desire to win is even greater now."