The South Puget Sound (SPSCC) Clipper Men's Soccer team kicked off league play with a 1-1 draw versus Chemeketa Community College last Saturday. A nifty combination play from midfield captain Alex Canning into Mo Diallo for the finish from the left side of the box in the 41st minute gave the Clippers the lead right before the half. Unfortunately for the Clippers, Chemeketa's Giovanni Lopez scored the equalizer in the 64th minute on a counterattack. Although the match resulted in a hard-earned point for the Clips, Head Coach Max Sampson and his team felt they didn't capitalize on the volume of chances they produced.

"Games like this are frustrating to play in," said Sampson. "We had most of the possession and created lots of shots on goal, but couldn't find the net a second time. An error in transition to our defensive position allowed Chemeketa to even the game in the second half. Except for the final 15 minutes, which was chaotic for both teams, I thought he did enough to win, but that's football sometimes. It's important that we collect as many points as possible before October so we can keep pace with the other tournament quality teams"

Sampson continued, "I expect us to score more of our chances and to retain possession throughout games. The boys have shown moments of quality play, but we are still searching for our identity and how to manage games against high-energy pressing teams."

This year's team is comprised of several veteran players and of new talent from Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Germany, France, England, Japan, Netherlands, and Denmark. The focus at training has been on creating support while attacking and on defensive principles of pressure, cover, and balance. Sampson hopes doing basic things at a high speed can be the recipe for success.

Sophomore defensive midfielder Erik Olvera echoed Sampson, saying, "The Chemeketa draw was really frustrating for all of us. We were hoping to grab our first win after a tough preseason and dropping points right off the bat was upsetting, but we're working to win on Wednesday vs SWOCC, and keep momentum to run through the rest of the Southern Conference." 

The Clippers will host Southwest Oregon Community College on Wednesday, September 11, at 3:30 p.m. at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. SPSCC's third league match will also be at home Saturday versus Lane Community College with kick-off scheduled for 2:15 p.m on September 14.