As it went about beating Portland Community College on Oct. 5, the Clark College women’s soccer team played as a well-connected unit. The visiting Panthers rarely had control of the ball as the Penguins won 8-0 to remain unbeaten in league play.
That connection was no accident.
Coach Sean Janson has made it a priority to feature local players — 13 players from Clark County are on the squad this season — a focus that is being rewarded as the Penguins chase the first division title in program history.
“It’s really cool. We’re just a really close tight-knit group. We all have a really strong chemistry on our team,” said Emily Heaton, a sophomore defender and Columbia River High School graduate. “We all just have a lot of fun. We goof off when we want to, but we also know when to get serious.”
Wednesday the challenge gets serious as Clark hosts Lane Community College from Eugene, a 2 p.m. showdown between the two unbeaten teams in the South Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference.