Coach Eddie Ashley’s comments after the game:

The Clark boys soccer team advanced to the regional championship Friday with a win over Mission Sharyland at Blossom Stadium. The Coogs heart stopping path to the “Elite Eight” of Texas high school soccer came with another shootout. For the third game in a row Clark ended regulation and overtime tied and this time like the last it was 0-0. In methodical fashion, Johnny Lawson, Oscar Barboza and Evan Javors  made the first three goals of the shootout while Cougar goalkeeper Brandon Van Wagner kept Sharyland out altogether ending the game. Read more in the Express News. And at RGVsports.com.

Next step comes at 3:00 Saturday at Blossom when Clark takes on familiar foe – Austin Westlake (18-5-2) . At stake is one of four spots in the state tournament.

• PHOTOS
• MORE PHOTOS (this guy is good)

In a report by rgvsports.com, it appears that three of Mission Sharyland’s starters will not be playing much in the regional game between Clark and the Rattlers on Friday at 4:30pm at Blossom.

Apparently, the three are committed to playing for their club team, an affiliate of the Houston Dyanamo professional soccer team, in a Dallas area game at 1:30pm and may not be back in time to play for their high school team or at best not be available until the second half.

Come join in wishing the Clark Cougar Boys soccer team good luck as they compete in the regional tournament.  They’ll be leaving at 2:30pm so show up between 2:00pm and 2:15pm.  Bring signs, wave towels, be loud and let ’em know how proud we are of them.

BTHO Mission Sharyland!

Garcia using his feet here, voice in locker room

Senior Jacob Garcia is using his defensive skills and his “gift of gab” to help lead the Clark soccer team to their best season ever.  Read more about this three sport varsity athlete in a great article in today’s Express News.

Guevara celebrates winning goal vs. Bowie

When the #19 nationally ranked Clark Cougars meet the Mission Sharyland Rattlers in this weekend’s regional tournament, it will be the first trip for both schools.  Clark, the only San Antonio team still in the playoffs, plays Sharyland at 4:30pm at the Blossom Athletic Center.

The Sharyland Rattlers knocked off the Brownsville Lopez Lobos, who lost in the state title game last year and have played in the regional tournament for the past 2 years.  The Lobos were the favorites in the game between Districts 32-5A and 30-5A and are ranked 6th in the state behind Clark, who is ranked #4.

Normally considered an easier round of playoffs in most other sports, “Valley Week” in soccer is a whole ‘nother ball game when it comes to the competition.  The Valley teams are talented and well prepared and will present a good challenge to a Cougar team which is peaking at the right time in the playoffs.  You can read more about Sharyland at this website.

This is the farthest a Clark boys soccer team has advanced in school history.  In 2001, the Clark girls soccer team advanced to the state tournament,  where one representative from each region attends.  Clark lost to eventual state champion Plano West.  They remain the only NISD team in boys or girls soccer ever to make it to the state tournament.

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Clark soccer team congratulates Van Wagner

The Clark boys soccer team is headed to the Region IV tournament for the first time in school history following a quarterfinal instant classic against Austin Bowie. The game wasn’t decided until a sudden death shoot out goal by Zack Guevara and a clutch stop on Bowie’s next attempt by the game’s hero – Clark goalkeeper Brandon Van Wagner. All this followed a defensive fight in regulation that ended in a 0-0 tie, two 10 minute overtime periods that ended with no score and a shootout that went through the standard five players only to end in a 3-3 tie. Guevara’s shot marked the 7th kick in the shootout and when Bowie failed to convert its 7th attempt the game was finally history. Coach Eddie Ashley’s teams have never lost a shootout in the four years since he arrived at Clark and now they’ll take their national ranking (currently #19) and clutch play to the next level.  Catch more details about the game in this Express News article.

The Region IV tournament will be Friday and Saturday at Blossom with Clark facing either Brownsville Lopez or Mission Sharyland in the semi-finals.

PHOTOS

Cougars in quarterfinals

The Clark boys soccer team takes on a foe familiar to Cougar fans – the Austin Bowie Bulldogs – on Monday night in New Braunfels. The winner secures a spot in the Regional tournament next weekend. The Cougars beat Austin Anderson in a shoot out to advance while Bowie beat Brandeis. Bowie was the 4th place team out of District 25-5A and has shown an abundance of offense in the playoffs – bouncing Churchill 5-1 in the first round and beating Brandeis 5-0 in the Area game.

The Monday game starts at 7:30 at New Braunfels High School. Let’s show up loud and proud for our nationally ranked soccer team and cheer them on one step closer to a state championship.

GO COOGS!

The Clark Cougar boys soccer team scored first but had to overcome a late charge by Austin Anderson to win the area playoff in a shootout 3-2.

Clark scored early on the first half on a goal by. In the second half Clark led Austin 2-1 but with less than a minute remaining in the game Anderson was the receipient of some generous refereeing and ended up with a tying goal to send the game to overtime.

Neither team scored in the extra periods.

In the dreaded shootout, super goalie Brandon Van Wagner defended all five shots and one sure-footed strike by Evan Javors gave the Cougars the playoff victory. They now move on to the quarter finals, most likely to be played on Tuesday.

Way to go, Coogs!

Jason Brickman

Clark guard Jason Brickman has been named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches 5A All State team for the 2009-2010 season. Brickman averaged just over 19 points a game for the Cougars this season. A senior,  Brickman has committed to play for Long Island University.

The Clark boys soccer team will take on Austin Anderson High School in the Area round of playoffs this Friday at 8 pm in New Braunfels. The Trojans defeated San Antonio Lee 1-0 on Tuesday. Anderson was the runner up in District 25-5A and finished the season with a 13-4-3 record and ranked 5th in the Austin area.

The Cougars defeated Corpus Christi Carroll 4-1 and remain ranked 3rd in the San Antonio area. Clark is ranked 5th in the state according to ESPN Rise and  #20 in the nation. Their season record stands at 18-1-2.