The men’s club soccer team recently completed its regular season and is now focused on competing in the national tournament this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The team is carrying plenty of momentum into the tournament. It has a perfect record of 4-0 and has beaten its opponents with a combined score of 21-3, including a 5-0 shutout of rival Oregon State.
Leading scorers on the team include forwards Jason Modahl and Chris Platt who have each scored five goals during the season.
So far the season has exceeded team coordinator Patrick Drake’s expectations because the team has been able to obliterate its opponents. He believes the team has been able to control ball possession for nearly 75 percent of each game.
“We expected to dominate, and we have been,” Drake said.
Although their success has proved they will be a worthy opponent in the tournament, the team still needs a little fine-tuning because their previous opponents did not challenge the team’s minor blemishes.
“The last thing we need to work on is set plays. That is our biggest weakness right now – free kicks,” said Drake.
Drake attributes the team’s success to a variety of different aspects: solid defense, solid attacking, finishing and all-around strong play.
Drake believes the team will come out of its group first in a crowd that includes Georgia Tech, Wisconsin and Southeastern Louisiana. Drake considers the competition in this group light and he expects to face the team’s toughest opponents in the semifinals.
The men’s team will be playing in the Open Division because there is no regional qualifying tournament in the northwest area. The academic calendar forces the men’s team to start competition too late into the season because most schools start at the end of August.
The team will not be competing for the national title, but will still face stiff competition. Cal-Berkeley, for instance, was in the semifinal of the Championship Division, but this year will play in the Open Division after not qualifying for the main tournament.
Next year Drake hopes the team can start practicing earlier in order to go to the regional qualifying tournament, which will take place in California.
“There’s really no way for any Northwest team to qualify because all the qualifying regions are in Arizona, Utah and California,” Drake said.
The best the club can hope for is to win the Open Division, which consists of 16 teams separate from the championship bracket. Team members are confident they can come out as Open Division champions.
“We expect better competition, but we have enough talent to go far,” Modahl said.
After the tournament the club team will begin its indoor soccer season at the beginning of winter term.