The Centennial boys soccer team tied against Tigard 1-1 last night with freshman Aye Doh Chan scoring the tying goal. After the game Coach Saks said, “Tigard was a formidable challenge. In the end we played with grit and finished strong.”

The team has gotten of to a solid start this season, beating Wilsonville 3-0 and St. Helens 7-1 while losing to Lake Oswego 3-2. The boys picked up two great wins in three games but struggled to close out the game against Lake Oswego. The team is also led by first-year head coach Todd Saks who in the first three games feels that his team played well.   Saks had been the head coach several years ago.

The team is led by senior defender Miguel Carrillo and junior midfielder Nathan Feltner. These two players have set the tone for the team and provided great leadership on the field. Saks said this year’s team is “very skilled and has been able to stand toe to toe with some very good teams like the Lake Oswego team who we should’ve beat. The team’s main strength lies in its midfield which has been able to absorb pressure and then quickly go out and attack. The team has so far scored 13 goals in four games while only conceding four goals in as many games.  The main goalscorers on the team have been Aye Doh Chan and Angel Santiago-Garcia.  

     Saks’ goal for this season is to “Make the playoffs and not be a part of a play in game”.  To achieve this the Eagles will need to finish top four in the Mount Hood Conference, which will be no easy task.  The Mount Hood Conference is very good from top to bottom, so the Eagles will need to bring their A game every night if they are to make the playoffs.

The team also wasn’t at full strength missing Miguel Carrillo for the Lake Oswego game, his return will make a big difference for the team as he is the captain and the leader of the squad. To be successful this season Saks said “We need to play our game and our style and dictate the tempo”.

The biggest games for the Eagles this season will come against Jesuit, Reynolds, Central Catholic and Gresham.  To win those matches the boys will need to control the game and play their style, wins in those outings will provide a huge boost to the Eagles playoff chances.