One of the most under-rated  men’s sports at Newport high school is the sport of soccer. Everyone goes out for track because the chances of going to state are extremely higher, but there is a new sport on the block. The boys’ soccer team is very new with only 3 years under the team’s belt. Understanding that boys soccer is not a prominent sport in Newport, the coaches are faced with a challenge every year of a missing abundance of first year soccer players. Its extremely hard to win a game against teams that have more skill and experience. However, the lack of skill was very well balanced by desire to win and athleticism. With the combination of returning players, a very experienced foreign exchange student, and pure desire, the team made it farther than ever, placing third in the league and making it to the first round of districts.

But soccer had to start from somewhere. The team started the season with a much bigger school, North Central high school, in Spokane at the sports complex just outside the well-known Joe Albey stadium. Before the score changes your outlook on the team, let’s explain something: the team had no practices outside before this game; they also have never played on a turf field. But as many of the upperclassmen say before and after the games, “There is no excuse for a lose, we come to win every game!”  Even with the inspired hope from the upperclassmen, Newport still lost 7-0. There were only 2 goals scored on Newport in the first half. Then in the second half the coach made the decision to play new people because of the fact that is was not a league game. In the second half there were 5 goals scored on Newport due to the personnel on the field. There was a very lackluster effort and no desire to win after the 3rd goal was scored. There was no apparent need to win.

With a bad loss behind them they worked hard on what needed to be fixed and prepared for their next opponent, Mt. Spokane. This was also a bigger school! This game, Newport played as if they had a chip on their shoulder. The need to succeed was driving them to come out with the win. It was tied 1-1 in the first half. And then 2-2 in the second, Philip Behrend scoring both of the goals, and this sent the game to a shootout, which is where both teams come up with a line up of their best players and go one on one with the goalie from the PK mark. Newport won that shootout with 5 shots made to their 3 shots. So Newport heads in to their third game versus Deer Park with a record of 1-1.

With the weather still bad, rainy, windy and muddy, the game still goes on. Newport came out strong, scoring the first goal of the game. The score was 1-0 in the whole first half then the second Newport allowed three unanswered goals, until the last 2 minutes when the team scored, losing 5-3. They were told it does not matter that they lost, but just to focus on the league game next week. This seemed like a reoccurring statement as the season went on.

One of the toughest teams in the league was Lakeside and they were the next foes for Newport to triumph over, or would they? The Grizzlies’ suffered another loss, losing their first league game 3 to 1.  Up next was the always tough Colville Indians. They were undefeated both mentally and on the scoreboard going into this game, but this could not be said about Newport. It seemed as if Newport came into the game scared, expecting to lose the game. This is exactly what happened. Newport was massacred, losing 8-0.

The sun in the sky, over the Ellersick Memorial field, the Grizzlies had their first home game on the big field when they faced Riverside. This seemed to keep the teams energy up enough to hold off the Rams and win the game 2-1. Newport would go on to win against the Rams twice more. Winning 1-0 then 4-1. Newport had something to prove going to Lakeside after the previous loss. So they came out in their typical Grizzly fashion, hard and fast, scoring the first goal. Then right after that, the Eagles scored, and it was tied 1-1 in the first half. It stayed this way through the whole game, sending the game into overtime. 3 minutes into overtime, Lakeside scored on a corner kick, winning the game. Newport lost 2-1.

Going back home was comforting for the team, but not comforting enough to hold off Colville. Newport held them to 2 goals and scored 1. Newport still sits third due to beating Riverside all three times playing them. After Colville lost to the now league champs Lakeside, Newport had to play this again. It was apparent at the start of the game that Newport was already defeated. They lost 4-0! This loss made some peoples preseason predictions wrong. Most of the returning players thought that they were going to go really far this year. Erick Person (returning starter) said “Before the season started I had very high expectations, I thought that our team would be faster and have more athletic ability than the other teams. With the skill of our returners and some of the athletic ability of our first year players we could dominate,” but when asked his opinion on how the season went he said “the team just didn’t click as a team it was just a bunch of friends playing soccer, like recreation soccer, there was not a competitive nature to the team.” All in all, the team is coming together, just not as fast as everyone wants. What would help? Do they need a new coach? After all, it’s only a program that is three years old.

After a good season for the girl’s team who went to the State Championship earlier this year, the expectations for the boy’s team are big.

One of the most experienced players on the team, Erik Person, is very pumped and believes this year can be the best of his high school career. When asked about last season, Eric said, “The start was hard but we finished strong, that’s what makes us enthused for this season. I wish we could go to the State Championship this year”. In the previous season, the boys played sixteen games and won eight. Last year, the soccer team wasn’t able to practice in the field for more then a month because of the snow.

Soccer is growing in Newport and attracting more players. Coltin Worley is playing for the first time this year. “I didn’t play last season because I didn’t understand the sport, but now that I know more, I decided to try. I’m excited.”    The players from last year believe that this year we will have enough players for a JV and a Varsity team (about 25 players).The Basketball season is complete, and the soccer players have started working out for the season of Spring 2012.

A foreign exchange student from Japan, Tsukasa Moriyama, seems to be ready as well. “I’m getting excited for soccer because the players are already working out and talking about this season, I think we are going to do a good job!”

Part of the team is already practicing indoor soccer Thursdays and Sundays at the middle school. The practice is open for everybody that wants to play. There are usually between fifteen and twenty players. The soccer season starts on February 27th, and if it stops snowing, the first week of practice will be at the field, and if not, practice will probably be in the gym. This is a good year for the people that are thinking of play for the first time, because there will be a JV team, giving them a lot more playing time and more experience for next season.

The soccer team was a little less than successful but everyone on the team enjoyed it through out the season. Our record was not very good, but our team stayed together for the most part. We started with roughly 22 players, by the end we had 12. I quit two weeks before the end because I was just not having fun with it, soccer is not my sport. But I knew that the rest of the kids that stayed through the whole season had a bond. Most of them had been playing together since elementary school.  They have a deep passion for soccer, and the reason they stay together is for their shared enjoyment of the game and each other. For the most part our games were the same. We started out the first half great, the team played off mistakes and scored well. When we lost we lost big, when we won, we won bigger. Or at least it seemed like it. The last half of our games we lost because we had zero substitutes for our starters.

Our plus sides were our forwards and our goalie. We had an all league forward and our goalie was phenomenal. When we were scored on it was rarely his fault. The odd thing about soccer is, a person would think that when your scored on it’s the goalie’s fault, but it rarely is. Our forward was super fast and scored on fast break plays down the field. Compared to last year we were much better off.

“Last years seniors were good but this years seniors made us more complete as a team”. –Tayler Gardener. This was a result of playing together for a long time. The seniors last year had been relatively new to the group of kids. This years bond showed to be significantly stronger because we played much better than last year.