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<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Mens and Womens soccer team are the determined underdogs of the NWAC West Region. Having coached in the NWAC for 10 years this is Max Sampson\u2019s first season as head coach of the Clippers. Coach Sampson says, \u201cYear one I knew it was going to be a project, historically the program has struggled to gain traction and be a playoff contender consistently but we have to win the little moments to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both teams faced competition outside of the West region during preseason that gave them room to test the waters and solidify their team dynamic and strategies approaching regular conference play in mid-September. With travel to Oregon and some challenges up north in preseason the Men\u2019s team took wins from Treasure Valley and Portland while the Women\u2019s team secured the \u2018W\u2019 from Umpqua and Shoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Head Coach Becca Mader of the Women\u2019s Soccer team has coached the Clippers for two seasons and is proud of her team and the growth they have shown each week. This is the second NWAC eligible season for SPSCC women\u2019s soccer and the first graduating class to experience two years in the program. Coach Mader hopes that her athletes have learned the importance of relying on each other and, \u201crealize that we are human and mistakes do happen and it\u2019s more important how we respond to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a junior college, freshmen-heavy teams are inevitable due to the high turnover where athletes are only given two years in their respective schools. This year symbolized a fresh start for both teams with dedicated returners leading the charge. One of which is Grace Koonrad, a sophomore captain and goalie for the Women\u2019s Soccer Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Grace emphasizes that everything is a learning opportunity and it requires support but there can still be battles. Her teammates reciprocate her sentiments and hope that they can leave behind a legacy of \u2018discipline, perseverance, and sportsmanship,\u2019 their core values this season. Koonrad says, \u201ceven if we don\u2019t win all of our games we can still walk away saying we were disciplined, we worked really hard and we played as a family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coach Sampson and sophomore captain Sam Krusi share the \u201cnext player up\u201d mindset echoing that at the end of the day they are all a team and fill in different places. Krusi says, \u201cA lot of the new guys are getting adjusted. The NWAC is obviously a lot different from what they\u2019re used to but it\u2019s also a lot of fresh energy and these guys are coming in with confidence as well as growing pains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These teams have faced tough competition from some of the highest ranked teams in the NWAC and after playing over 10 games each their seasons are coming to a close.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Clipper sophomores this is the last year at SPSCC. Sophomore Night is a double header on Sat., Oct. 28 at the Regional Athletic Conference (RAC). Support your Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s soccer teams as they face Pierce at 2:15 pm and Lower Columbia at 12 pm!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Mens and Womens soccer team are the determined underdogs of the NWAC West Region. Having coached in the NWAC for 10 years this is Max Sampson\u2019s first season as head coach of the Clippers. Coach Sampson says, \u201cYear one I knew it was going to be a project, historically the program has struggled to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-kraken-korner"],"yoast_head":"\n