The men’s soccer team clinched the West Division title after defeating South Puget Sound 8-0 and Clark 4-2.
The T-Birds crushed the Clippers last Wednesday, 8-0.
Highline needed to come out strong with a big win, because of their average performance against Pierce the week before, said Highline players.
“Coming into the South Puget Sound game, we knew that we had to come out strong to close out the game as soon as possible,” said left-back Diego Madrigal.
“We had to make ourselves a good team again. We found our strength though and were able to score eight goals…I was so happy after that game,” said midfielder Ryo Takeuchi.
“Coming into the Clark game, we had the same mentality as the South Puget Sound game; come out strong and secure first place in the West,” said Madrigal.
“The Clark game was a long two and a half hour drive to Vancouver WA, that made everyone just a little bit uncomfortable,” said Takeuchi.
The first half of the match brought all four goals for Highlines men’s team. While the second half brought two goals against them.
“Unfortunately, the second half was a poor performance on our part, but we came out with the victory and that’s all that matters,” said Madrigal.
The Thunderbirds secured the first place seed in the West and the division title with a 4-2 victory over the Penguins.
“We were taking each game one at a time to make sure our focus was on one game and not getting ahead of ourselves. Our goal in each game was to win. If we won both games, we knew that we would win the West Division. It took a team effort and we were able to achieve our goal,” said Head Coach Steve Mohn.
A team effort is always key when it comes to soccer, and the Thunderbirds have got it goin’ on.
“We have really been playing well as a team. I think that has been the biggest piece we have really shown in our last six games. It was something we have been working hard towards and everything is starting to click at the right time,” said Mohn.
The team is excited to move into the playoffs, said Highline players. The Thunderbirds are playing for the program’s fifth NWAC title and fourth under Head Coach Steve Mohn.
The next game for the men’s team will be a quarterfinal match on Saturday. Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m. at Starfire on field #2.
The winner of Wednesday’s first round playoff game between 7-3-2 Southwest Oregon and 5-2-4 Blue Mountain will be the T-Birds next opponent.