First-year varsity soccer coach Mark Taylor believes he has much about which to be proud after the end of regular season play.
“We had a pretty good season,” he said, noting the 7-10-1 overall record, 3-8-1 in the Oakland Activities Association Division I.
For perspective, Taylor said the Wolves had not won a league game in the previous two seasons.
“The OAA Division I is the toughest league in the state by far,” he said, noting it has three top-10 state teams, including last year’s state champ. “It’s not even close.”
Three of those top 10 teams had problems with Clarkston this year, as the Wolves defeated Troy Athens and Grand Blanc and tied Rochester Adams. Against Lake Orion, it was a 1-0 loss but the Wolves outshot the Dragons 20-3.
The talent and good efforts have been there, as six games were lost by only one goal. Taylor’s goal is to help the squad keep a consistent effort.
“They’re just learning how to win games right now,” Taylor said. “We have very, very talented soccer players. They have to learn how to finish and play 80 minutes, not 79 and 10 seconds.”
He hopes that learning continues with this week’s scheduled district tournament.
Clarkston was scheduled to play Milford on Monday.
A victory there would match the Wolves with the winner of the Adams-Waterford Mott game at home at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Taylor had special praise for goalkeepers Nick Zeeman and Steve Demster.
“Coming into this year I thought my problem would be goalkeeping and my goalkeepers have been fantastic,” he said. “We just couldn’t score goals.”
The coach also believes he had good leadership from senior captains Matt Smith, Aaron Verlinden and Brady Gardner, an all nine seniors (the remainder being Dan Spencer, Cameron Darrow, Eric Gauthier, Andrew Crane and Nick Swantek) have been “absolutely fantastic.”
A 1987 CHS graduate, Taylor was excited to take over the coaching position, and is looking forward to good things, not only next year.
“I have a good core next year, but I don’t want this season to end [this] week.”