10
O
O
October 16, 2002
The Clackamas Print
Women's soccer has arrived
Former University of Portland standoutJracy Nelson takes control of the
soccer program that has been added at Clackamas Community College
Sports Editor
This year was the kickoff of
Clackamas Community College’s
first season of women’s soccer,
and the Cougar women have been
tearing up the field in an effort to
make it to the top of the Northwest
Athletic
Association
of
Community College’s (NWAACC)
Southwestern Division.
In eight games since the season
opener on Sept. 13, the Cougars
have won five times, tied once and
lost twice, leaving them behind
division-leading Tacoma and sec
ond-place
Lower
Columbia
College.
This early season success has
been a little surprising to Head
Coach Tracy Nelson, a former
University of Portland Pilot soccer
star, who is trying her hand at a
college coaching job for the first
time.
“We’re definitely doing well,
and coming to a new program and
a new team, you never really know
what to expect,” Nelson said. “It
always takes a couple years to
really build a program and we
were fortunate to get a good group
of girls in. It’s a good solid group
that has really come together as a
team and are playing really, well.”
CCC Athletic Director Jim
Jackson was a driving force behind
women’s' soccer coming to
Clackamas. The reason that the
new program was established has
to do with the fact that another
women’s sport was required to
bring Clackamas into gender equi
ty in athletics.
Simply put, approximately 53%
of the CCC general population is
female, and the athletic opportuni
ties must match up with that per
centage. But prior to women’s soc
cer being added, the college was
actually much closer to 53% of
athletic opportunities belonging to
men.
This gender inequity could
have'warranted a formal investiga
tion by the Office of Civil Rights,
had anybody made a major com
plaint. The athletics system had
been out of balance for quite
awhile, and Jackson had wanted to
bring on a new women’s sport
since he came on the job in 1992.
Only after a personnel shift freed
up the necessary money for the
program to be established did this
finally lake place.
When it came time to decide
which sport was right for CCC,
soccer seemed to be the perfect fit.
There weren’t too many other
sports to consider, and since soccer
is such a popular and successful
sport in the area, it was an easy
choice.
“Obviously one of the promi
nent sports is women’s soccer.
Without a doubt,” Jackson said. “It
became kind of a no-brainer for us
in wanting to put that on.”
The players that represent
Clackamas on the soccer field are
all freshmen, but are not caving to
the pressure that comes with being
a new student.
“All of the players have done a
super job and they’ve all con
tributed in different ways,” Nelson
Defender Tara
Wood (right)
does her best
to keep the
ball from a
Clark oppo
nent in the
Cougars 2-1
home victory
on Oct. 2.
Forward
Megan Moore
(below) breaks
free from a
Clark player
in that same
Oct. 2 victory.
Moore helped
her team gain
the victory by
scoring one of
the two goals
in that game.
The Cougar
women are
currently in
the third place
position in the
Southwestern
Division of the
NWAACC
behind soccer
powerhouse
Tacoma and
second place
Lower
Columbia
College.
Cougar
Sports
Calendar
soccer
Friday,
October 18 vs
Shoreline ©
4p.m. -HOME
Saturday,
October 19 vs
Bellevue @
1p.m. -HOME
Friday, October
25 vs. Green River
@ 2 p.m. in
Auburn, WA
Saturday,
October 26 vs.
Highline @ 12 p.m.
in Des Moines, wa
Wednesday,
October 30 vs.
Southwestern
Oregon @ 3p.m
-HOME
LUKE MAHAN
Clackamas Print
said. “I wouldn’t say there’s been a weaknesses. Nelson has spent
player that’s been holding the team practice time working with her
together, I think it’s been a com players on finishing and increasing
the speed of play, with the hopes
bined effort by everybody.”
Prior to the season opener, that the team will be able to play
Nelson, like all people starting a better under pressure.
new job, had some feelings of
“To be able to compete with the
nervousness. She was however, top teams, we need to increase our
able to quickly turn those nerves speed of play. That’s the biggest
into success on thfe playing field.
tiling right now,” Nelson said.
“I was a little nervous just “Play .a little quicker, a little'faster,
because I’ve never done anything know where we want to play the
with the college level before. It’s a ball before we get it, are things
whole new experience,” Nelson that we have to continue to work
said. “And there’s a ‘lot of other on;”
The Cougars’ most recent
things that...are a factor at the col- ’'
lege level besides just coaching. match at Southwestern Oregon on
There’s a whole other side of it Oct. 12 resulted in their second
that I’ve never had to experience loss of the season, falling- to
SWOCC by a final of 3-1.
before.”
The overall play of the soccer
‘We didn’t do so well this past
team has been going well, but that weekend,” Nelsoti said.: “We kind
doesn’t mean that they are without of want to forget this weekend and
move on.
Next up for Clackamas are
home games on Fri., Oct. 18 and
Sat., Oct. 19 against Shoreline
and Bellevue, respectively. The
last time these teams met, the
Cougars were the victors in both
games. But that doesn’t mean
that this weekend is going to be
a piece of cake.
“I think (Bellevue) is going to
be a lot tougher than it was the
first time we played them,”
Nelson, said. “Hopefully, these
next few games will build some
confidence back up for us and
get us back on track and playing
how we know we can.”
As the season draws closer to
the playoffs, the Cougars are hope
ful about their chances of postsea
son survival. They have already
played every other team at least
once, which has given them a
chance to measure themselves
against the competition.
So far, Nelson sees the biggest
competition coming from division
leading Tacoma, as well as second-
place Lower Columbia College.
The Cougars haven’t fared too
well against these teams, losing to
Lower Columbia by a score of 3-2,
and tying Tacoma .2-2. But Nelson
isn’t worried about these details.
“With this group, anything’s
possible’ If they get it in their mind
that they can do. it and want to do
it, I think anything’s /possible,”
Nelson said. “And anybody can
beat anybody on any given day.”
volley
b a II
* Friday, October
18 vs. Mt. Hood @
7p.m. -HOME
* Wednesday,
October 23 vs.
Lane © 7p.m.
-HOME
* Wednesday,
October 30 vs.
Chemeketa
@
7p.m. -HOME
eros s
country
*Saturday, October
-Southern
26
Reg ion
Championships