A great article on how the Clark Cougar Varsity boys soccer team is reaching new heights on a national level on the pitch.

San Antonio Express News

Whoop Whoop! On another beautiful south Texas night, the Clark men dominated the soccer pitch, beating Taft 6-1. Clark junior Tristan Cavazos got the party started at the 21st minute, 1-0. After five minutes of constant pressure on Taft’s keeper, the Taft defense made a tactical error and gave away a penalty kick. Clark’s sophomore Jake Peterson put it in the net, 2-0. Three minutes before the half, senior Chris Pantaleon passed the ball to senior John Cintron, who then scored and put Clark at 3-0 in time for the half.

Taking the field after halftime, Clark continued to rule the field. At the 56th minute, Chris Pantaleon made a beautiful run down the field and ended it with a clean shot, 4-0. Eleven minutes later, junior Diego Sepulveda skinned by Taft to put Clark’s fifth goal into the net. Shortly after, junior Colin Segura passed the ball to freshman Javi Martinez, who scored again for Clark, 6-0. Taft rallied to put the ball in the net, putting the final score at 6-1.

This game ended Clark’s shut out streak (6 games straight) but their record is still strong at 10-1 in district play. Tuesday’s game is a bye, so the Coogs get the night off. They’ll next take the field against Brandeis, Friday 3/7 at 7 pm, Gus Stadium.

By Caryn Moir

Clark men triumphed over third place O’Connor this evening in a fierce competition at Farris Stadium. Both teams passed well and played aggressively but Clark took the lead in the first half and finished strong. Tonight’s game was the second match between the two schools this season, Clark having beaten O’Connor 2-1 in January. This win puts Clark at six shut outs for the season; congratulations to tonight’s keepers, senior Paolo Nardi and sophomore Colby Lorenz for successfully defending Clark’s net.

Clark’s first goal was a successful penalty kick taken by junior Tristan Cavazos; it was his 7th goal this season and put Clark ahead, 1-0. Despite intense pressure from O’Connor, Clark rebuffed every goal attempt while trying to widen the lead. In the final minute of the game, senior John Cintron scored off of a beautiful shot past the keeper, bringing the score to 2-0. This was Cintron’s 6th goal of the season. O’Connor received two yellow cards, one for an attack on Clark’s keeper and one for poor sportsmanship; Clark received none. Clark men are now 11-2-0 (8-1 in the district).

Way to play, Coogs! Next game is Tuesday, 5 pm, against Stevens, on Northside Field #2.

By Caryn Moir

On Valentine’s Day, Clark’s Chronicle ran a story on the men’s soccer team, titling it “A Shot at Glory” and describing their potential for going to state. Tonight, the Clark men took another step in the right direction, using a strong passing game to win against Warren, 3-0.

Clark scored their first goal when senior Chris Pantaleon handed off the ball to freshman Luis Carlos Garcia in the 13th minute, putting Clark in the lead 1-0. A few minutes before halftime, junior Tristan Cavazos deftly passed the ball to senior Andre Garcia, 2-0.
Clark took the field in the second half looking to widen their lead, which they did at the first corner. Junior Matt Jacobs passed to senior Gus Moir, both defenders at Warren’s net for the corner, and Moir then shot the ball past their keeper, 3-0. As always, Coach prompted the team with heartfelt encouragement, taking the time to call players to the sidelines for customized direction.
Great team effort, Cougars!

Clark men play next on Friday at Farris Stadium against O’Connor, 7 pm.
Go Coogs!

By Caryn Moir

Clark played Marshall Wednesday, shutting them out 1-0 thanks to a very early goal by freshman Luis “Javi” Martinez. With several players battling colds, Clark was down but not out and managed to hold Marshall for the rest of the game.
Friday night against Holmes found the Coogs back in good form and the Cougars shut out Holmes, 2-0. Going into the game, Holmes was in 3rd place in District play while Clark was in 2nd. Friday night’s game could have reversed District rankings but Clark dominated the field and maintained their position.
Clark’s first goal again came in the first few minutes, with senior Gus Moir assisting junior Tristan Cavazos on a corner, 1-0. Before half time senior Fernando Maya neatly put the ball in the net from a free kick at midfield. While Clark didn’t score in the second half, they kept the pressure on Holmes and maintained their lead. Clark received numerous free kicks and Holmes received a yellow card.
Next game is against Warren at Gus Stadium, 5 pm on Tuesday 2/18.

by Caryn Moir

Can you say brisk? It was another cold night in San Antonio but a great crowd turned out to watch the Clark Cougars shut out the competition at Farris Stadium. Play was fierce but Clark junior Matt Jacobs managed to put one in the net after a corner kick gave him an opening. (That makes 2 for defensive back Jacobs and 4 total for the defensive line this season.) Jay held the Coogs at 1-0 until the half. When Clark retook the field, they kept their focus and put two balls in the goal in rapid succession with senior Chris Pantaleone scoring Clark’s second goal of the game, 2-0. Shortly after Jay’s kickoff, senior John Cintron got the ball back for Clark and ran it up the field for an unbelievable goal, 3-0. Jay’s lone defensive back and keeper seemed stunned at Clark’s successful challenge. Both teams continued to play hard with several yellow cards being pulled and several players from both sides exiting the field after mild injuries.
Final score 3-0 for Clark, putting them at 7-2-0 for the season (4-1-0 in district play).
Next game is Tuesday, February 7th against Marshall, 5 pm on Northside Field #2.

By Caryn Moir

Clark men took to the pitch at Northside this evening in a match against district rival. Brandeis, with the sun at their backs, scored two goals in quick succession, 0-2. Clark held them for most of the half until Brandeis put another one in the net and the teams left the field 0-3 at halftime. When they returned to the pitch, Clark focused on getting past the Brandeis defense and Diego Sepulveda put one in the net, 1-3. Brandeis rallied and scored one more time, ending the game 1-4. The lopsided score doesn’t reflect the fierce play from both teams with Clark taking repeated shots against Brandeis and Brandeis tumbling several Clark players, earning Brandeis a yellow card.
Next up, the Clark men take the field Friday night, 7 pm against Jay at Farris stadium.

By Caryn Moir

Friday night was a bye-week for Clark men so Coach Rule arranged for a friendly rematch against Boerne Champion at Boerne’s stadium.
Clark dominated in the first half, pressuring Boerne Champion’s keeper consistently. About the 28th minute, Clark senior John Cintron played the ball across to junior Tristan Cavazos, who then scored with a clean shot past the opposition’s keeper and giving Clark the lead, 1-0. A few minutes later, Clark scored again. This time senior Gus Moir, off of a throw-in from senior Chris Pantaleon, headed the ball to junior Diego Sepulveda and Sepulveda knocked it in. The half ended with Clark up 2-0.

In the second half, Boerne Champion became more aggressive, pressuring Clark’s keeper. However, senior Preston Campbell blocked every shot, resulting in a shut out at game end. Despite the drive and maybe because of the warmer temps, Clark had a good sized turnout. Thanks to all of the families and friends that trekked up to Boerne’s stadium to watch the Coogs play!

Clark men play next against Brandeis on Tuesday, February 4th at 5 pm, Northside field #1.

On a cold Texas night, perfect for football… err… Futbol – your Clark Cougars took some time to warm up, but then they got HOT. The Raiders from Taft scored first in the opening half off of a corner that got loose in the box and found the net. The Cougars were down at the half 0-1. It was much of the same for the better part of the second half until Senior Gus Moir put one in the net with a header off of a corner with just over 15 minutes left in the game. Seven minutes later, Senior Jon Cintron played the wind perfectly and curled a corner into the goal unassisted to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead that would not be relinquished. With just under four minutes to go, Junior Tristan Cavazos dropped a pass to the foot of Sophomore Jake Peterson, and he hammered it home from just outside the 18. The 3-1 victory made the evening’s chill a little more bearable. Clark is now 3-0 in the District, and will take on non-District foe, Boerne Champion, this Friday at 7:00 in Boerne.

On one of the coldest nights of the year, Clark beat Stevens at Farris Stadium.
Stevens scored first, midway through the first half but then lost control of the ball for much of the rest of the period. Clark tied it up before the half when center back Gus Moir, #4, put it in the net off of a corner. After half time, the teams returned to the field and Clark’s right back, Matt Jacobs, #16, scored off of another corner, bringing the score to 2-1, Clark.
Around the 73 minute mark, Stevens was awarded a free kick and then a penalty kick, knocking the second past Clark’s keeper. Forward John Cintron, #3, scored again for Clark with 6 minutes remaining, putting Clark in the lead again.
Final score, 3-2 Clark.
Next game is Tuesday, January 28 against Taft at Northside field #1, 5 pm start.
By Caryn Moir