Tag Archive for: soccer

SOU Players of the Week

Tyson Cooper, Mitchell Pinney voted conference players of the week

Southern Oregon University football player Tyson Cooper and men’s soccer player Mitchell Pinney have been voted conference players of the week, the Frontier and Cascade league offices announced Monday.

Cooper was selected as the Frontier Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career following No. 3 SOU’s 27-0 win Saturday at Carroll (Montana). The all-conference linebacker made nine tackles and nixed the Saints’ first drive of the day with an interception, ultimately lifting the Raiders to their first shutout in 15 years.

Cooper, a senior from Gresham, has made a team-high 28 tackles this season for the Raiders, who are 4-0 and alone in first place with a bye this weekend.

Pinney, a senior forward from Hockinson, Wash., was voted the Cascade Offensive Player of the Week after Friday’s 2-0 win at Eastern Oregon and Sunday’s 10-1 win at Walla Walla (Washington). He scored both goals against the Mountaineers – including the game-winner just 27 seconds into his shift out of halftime – and recorded another goal with two assists against the Wolves.

Pinney leads the Raiders with 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on the year. In his three-year SOU career, he’s up to 14 goals with six game-winners.

The Raiders (7-2 overall, 4-0 CCC) are tied in first place with Corban entering two home games this weekend – Friday against Northwest Christian and Saturday against Corban.

From SOU Sports Information

SOU soccer players get more than a win out of conference tournament


NEWS RELEASE (available online at https://goo.gl/a7kHHV)
(Ashland, Ore.) — The Southern Oregon University men’s soccer team, in just its third year of existence, had a weekend its members won’t soon forget at the Cascade Conference Championship in Eugene.
They’ll remember winning the tournament, too.
But it wasn’t their overtime win in tournament’s final game on Monday that provided the biggest buzz for SOU’s team members. It was the gesture by three SOU players, who met a Special Olympics goalie – Trevor “T-Bone” Novak – at a soccer clinic the previous day and fulfilled his lifelong dream by arranging for him to be “in goal” at the start of Monday’s championship game.
A player for SOU’s opponent, Salem’s Corban University, dribbled the ball toward SOU’s goal and kicked the ball toward Trevor – who successfully blocked the shot.
“The awesome part of this event was what Trevor said as he was leaving: ‘I now have 25 new brothers and this has been the best day of my life,’” SOU Coach Biniam Afenegus said. “What an experience for Trevor, but more so for my players. They were talking about Trevor on the bus all the way home.”
A few of SOU’s players began talking with Trevor during Sunday’s Special Olympics soccer clinic – an annual event organized by tournament host Northwest Christian University and the four teams scheduled to play in Monday’s men’s and women’s final games. Trevor mentioned that his lifelong wish was to play goalie in a college game.
SOU players Michael Miller, Sean McManamon and Junior Rivas later talked with NCU’s athletic director about getting Trevor into the start of the following day’s championship game and making the necessary arrangements with the referees.
The plan went off without a hitch, and Trevor sat with the team for the rest of the game and even participate in its halftime huddle.
As a volunteer coordinator for Eugene-area Special Olympics pointed out later, that good karma may have come back around for the SOU team. “The best part of the story is that the SOU Raiders won the championship – maybe their good deed was paid back,” she said.
-SOU-