In their first playoff game, the Clark men took on the Mustangs of King High School in Corpus Christ. The Mustangs challenged the Cougars in the first half but Clark found its footing in the second and finished strong.

King scored first and held Clark throughout the first half. The tide started to turn in the second half when Junior Matt Jacobs put the ball in the net; however, the linesman called it offside, pushing both sets of fans into a frenzy. Despite having the wind against them, Clark kept up the pressure and, in the 54th minute, junior Tristan Cavazos scored for Clark, 1-1. Clearly, the Cougars were gaining momentum because, just a short minute later, senior Gus Moir scored again for Clark, 2-1. It was hard to tell whether Clark found their rhythm or King lost theirs – maybe a bit of both as senior Chris Pantaleon again attacked, narrowly missing the goal after a fabulous shot. The King keeper attempted to block it but it flew by and hit the post. Next, senior John Cintron nearly scored when he booted a free kick from midfield; the Mustang’s keeper did a great job in catching the ball though. Persistence won out, however, when Cintron made another shot and this time put it in the net, 3-1 for Clark in the 66th minute. The Coogs kept up the pressure, interrupting the Mustangs’ passing game and preventing them from scoring again. Everyone did well in passing the ball and staying focused. The win was very much a team effort!

The rest of this playoff round will be played Friday night. Once the winner in the other bracket is determined, we’ll know who the Coogs play next.

By Caryn Moir