The Clark College women’s soccer team concluded their 2019 regular season on Saturday, October 26. With the 3-1 win over Clackamas, the Penguins went undefeated in Southern Region play.

This continues a near-historic winning streak for Penguin women’s soccer: They have now gone 64 league games without a loss, dating back to October 17, 2014. With this win, the team has claimed their fourth NWAC Southern Region title in a row and have earned a bye for the first round of the conference tournament.

The Penguins are set to host the NWAC quarterfinal round at Kim Christensen Field on Clark College’s main campus at noon on Saturday, November 9. They will be host to the winner of the Tacoma Community College vs. Columbia Basin Community College game, to be held on Wednesday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m.

Photo: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

The 2017 Clark College Women’s Soccer team

With its 2-0 road victory over Southwestern Oregon this past Saturday, Clark College Women’s Soccer clinched the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) South Region title.

Led by Head Coach Sean Jansen–who received a Presidential Coin in September for his service to the college–the team has racked up some impressive statistics.The Penguins have scored 45 goals and allowed only 4–the biggest spread in the South. Penguins stat leaders include Facienne Graham with 10 goals, Sarah Teubner with 9 assists, and goalkeeper Maggie Higgins with 38 saves. The Penguins have a South Region best 9-0-1 conference record. The Penguins have 28 points in the region standings with two matches to play. They will be the No. 1 seed from the region and receive a first-round bye in the NWAC playoffs. Clark will host the first round of playoffs on Nov. 4 against a team yet to be determined.

The Penguins finish out their conference schedule at home, taking on Portland Community College at home on Saturday, October 21, at Kim Christensen Field, followed by playing Rogue Community College on Wednesday, October 25.

In other sports news from the weekend:

Men’s Soccer

The Penguins beat Southwestern Oregon 3-0 at Coos Bay.

Eric Hernandez, David Garnica and Mark Fabyanchuk scored goals. Nick Henry assisted on Hernandez’s goal, and Chikuru Balekeassisted on the other two.

Joseph Miguel Martin recorded the shutout in goal.

Clark (4-6-1, 4-3-1) is in second place in the South Region with 13 points, two in front of Portland. Clark and Portland meet next Saturday at Vancouver.

Volleyball

Clark rolled past Southwestern Oregon with a 3-0 win at the O’Connell Center. Scores were 25-18, 25-11, 25-14.

Madison Swanson had six kills, Dalaney Tuholski had five kills, Mary Schorn had 12 digs, and Megan Hess had 12 assists.

Clark (22-4, 7-2) is third in the NWAC South, one game behind Linn-Benton and Chemeketa, which are tied for first at 8-1.

Next for Clark is a crossover tournament at Aberdeen next weekend.

Cross Country

The Clark women placed fifth out of nine teams at the George Fox Classic, held at Willamette Mission State Park in Gervais, Ore. The Clark men were seventh out of 11 teams.

Battle Ground High grad Lizzye Ribalka was the top women’s finisher for the Penguins. She was 20th out of 90 runners in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 19:40.8.

Ridgefield High grad Sam Andersen was the top men’s placer for the Penguins. He was 31st out of 123 runners on the 8K course with a time of 26:34.0.

Athletics intern Davis Young contributed to this article. Photo: Clark College Athletics.

It’s been an exciting 2013-14 fall and winter for Clark College Athletics. So far this year, all of Clark’s athletic programs have advanced to the NWAACC playoffs–that’s seven for seven! In addition, four coaches were named Coach of the Year and several student athletes were named to All-Academic Sports teams and All-Star teams. There are so many students to be proud of and great sports moments to remember, but here is a quick recap of our mighty Penguins’ accomplishments so far.

Men’s & Women’s Cross Country

The Penguin cross country teams once again had solid fall season,s with both squads finishing in the top five at the NWAACC Championships, which were hosted by Clark College this year. Sophomores Julian Avalos and Jacob Mason were named to the 2013 All-Academic Sports team, which recognizes student athletes with a cumulative GPA above 3.25 and a minimum of 36 credits earned. Clark College will continue hosting the NWAACC Cross Country Championships at Lewisville Regional Park through Fall 2015.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team, led by 2013 South Region and NWAACC Coach of the Year Biniam Afenegus, put together another exceptional season, finishing with an 19-3-1 overall record. With a 13-1 mark in the South Region, the men captured their second consecutive regional title and advanced to the playoffs for the seventh straight season. The team eventually fell to Peninsula College in the NWAACC championship match, 1-0. Freshman Bernardino Ayala-Jimenez was named South Region MVP and freshmen Juan Ayala-Jimenez, Christian Desir, and Abdiel Morfin and sophomores Bryanth Garcia-Junco, Jonathan Morales, and Langdon Roscoe were named to the Southwest All-Star Team.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team fought through key injuries to finish 10-9-3 overall, with a third-place finish in the South Region. Second-year head coach Rochelle Hearns led the Penguins to consecutive NWAACC playoff appearances before falling to Whatcom on penalty kicks in the first round of the NWAACC playoffs. Coach Hearns was honored with the South Region Coach of the Year award, and sophomore Cristal Ruvalcaba and freshman Krista Campbell were named to the Southwest All-Star Team. Sophomores Emily Ainsworth, Kai Davidson and Alexandra White were named to the 2013 All-Academic Sports Team, which recognizes student athletes with a cumulative GPA above 3.25 and a minimum of 36 credits earned.

Volleyball

After a one-year hiatus, the women’s volleyball squad returned to the NWAACC playoffs under the direction of first-year head coach Mark Dunn. The Penguins were a force to be reckoned with down the stretch of regular-season play and beat the odds by winning three of four matches to advance to post-season play. In the first round, the Penguins were defeated in three sets by eventual NWAACC champion Blue Mountain; afterward, they defeated Shoreline in an elimination match to advance to Day Two of the tournament for the first time in four years. Sophomore middle blocker Karissa Paltridge was named First Team West Region All-Star. Sophomores Shawntel Kalliainen and Amanda Curtis were named to the 2013 All-Academic Sports Team, which recognizes student athletes with a cumulative GPA above 3.25 and a minimum of 36 credits earned.

Men’s Basketball

For the first time in 17 years, the Clark men’s basketball program placed at the NWAACC basketball championships, going 3-1 for a fifth-place finish. The 2013-14 edition of the Penguins gave fans a thrill as the men won the West Region crown and finished 27-2. The record-breaking performance also included a 23-game winning streak, undefeated in West Region (16-0) play, and best overall record for a season. Clark became just the fourth team in NWAACC history to go undefeated in league play. Clark held the coaches poll No. 1 ranking for the majority of the season and finished ranked No. 1 in the final coaches poll. Second-year head coach Alex Kirk was named West Region Coach of the Year, sophomore Collin Spickerman was named West Region MVP, and sophomore Sean Price was named First-Team West Region. Sophomore Max Livingston was named Second-Team West Region. Spickerman and Price were also named to the All-Defensive Team.

Women’s Basketball

For the first time in 14 years, the Clark women’s basketball program won the West Region title and placed at the NWAACC basketball championships for the second straight season, going 3-1 for a fifth-place finish. The team was Ranked No. 2 in final coaches poll and posted a 15-game win streak during their impressive season. Second-year head coach Al Aldridge was named West Region Coach of the Year, sophomore Brooke Bowen was named West Region MVP, and sophomores Nicolette Bond and Haley Grossman were named First-Team West Region. Freshman Shantell Jackson was named Freshman of the Year and Second-Team West Region. Freshman Taylor Howlett was named to the All-Defensive Team.

So far, the year has provided us with plenty of exciting sports moments and lots to cheer about. Visit Clark Athletics to find out about our spring sports, including baseball, softball, and track and field.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley