When Art Mota started up the Linn-Benton Soccer Club in February of 2009 he wasn’t sure exactly where it was going to go.
Several months later Mota found the Cascade Collegiate Soccer League and immediately he knew that he could put a team of 20 club members together to compete.The club’s purpose is to compile a group of players to compete in the 10 Fall CCSL games and April tournament each school year.
Several other schools in Oregon have club teams in the CCSL including Oregon State, Portland State, Portland Community College, Oregon and Southern Oregon.
The CCSL is divided into a “premier” and a “second” division and has a “relegation and promotion” format. This means that the team that finishes last in the premier division will move down to the second division and the best team from the second division with be promoted to the premier division.
Several months later Mota found the Cascade Collegiate Soccer League and immediately he knew that he could put a team of 20 club members together to compete.The club’s purpose is to compile a group of players to compete in the 10 Fall CCSL games and April tournament each school year.
Several other schools in Oregon have club teams in the CCSL including Oregon State, Portland State, Portland Community College, Oregon and Southern Oregon.
The CCSL is divided into a “premier” and a “second” division and has a “relegation and promotion” format. This means that the team that finishes last in the premier division will move down to the second division and the best team from the second division with be promoted to the premier division.
“It is a great system that allows the teams and players to play for something like a promotion,” says Mota, who is now the vice president of the CCSL and co-institutor of the system, says.
This year the team was very up-and-down losing their first seven games, tying their eighth, and winning their last two to finish the Fall season 2-7-1. The team’s record does not do them justice though, as they are loaded with confidence heading into the CCSL’s month-long tournament in April.
“The year did not go as well as we had hoped, but we ended on a very good note heading into the tournament,” Mota said in an interview.
The club is open to any interested LBCC student who would like to play, get into great shape, and meet some new people who have a passion for soccer. The team practices on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday’s and plays its home matches here at Linn-Benton. The club also uses various fundraisers in the community to raise money including the Wednesday lunches in the LBCC courtyard, and a fundraiser at the restaurant El Sol de Mexico in Corvallis.
"The club is a good balance of competitive soccer, and a good group that always has fun together," team captain Max Sampson said in an interview with The Commuter.
Roadrunner Soccer Club Team
At a Glance
Who: Linn-Benton Soccer Club/Team
Coach: Art Mota (2nd year)
Team Captain: Max Sampson
Where: Linn-Benton Community CollegePractices: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 5 p.m.
Contact Info: http://www.linnbenton.edu/go/clubs/soccer-club
