William James
The Broadside
The season is drawing to a close for the Central Oregon Community College soccer team, and while you wouldn’t know it by their record, head coach Scott Milum feels that this year is ending on a positive note. This year marks the 8th year that Milum has served as the Bobcats’ coach, leading his squad to 3 playoff appearances, the last one being last year. They missed the playoffs this year only finishing with a record of two wins, seven losses and a tie, but the tie being a 2-2 result against the University of Oregon is what Milum considered the “highlight of the year” in a recent interview. “I wish that the spring season was a little longer”, he said, “So that hopefully the guys would have been able to build off of that game, because that was huge for us.”
The tie against the Ducks was especially important to the ‘Cats, because Milum went through what many would consider to be a nightmare scenario with his squad, losing six players including his two captains to increased campus workload and full-time jobs.
“I lost about half the team from fall to winter”, Milum said. “Spring was a big challenge.” However, when fresh faces arrived to replace the departing team members, one especially stood out. Jonathan Cruz-Perez, known as “Cookies” among his friends and teammates, serves as COCC’s newest—and only—goalkeeper, and provided the Bobcats with stellar play throughout the year.
“He played indoor soccer for about three teams during the winter,” Milum said, “And it definitely showed once we got outside on the field.” Milum made sure to note that Cruz-Perez’s best game was the 2-2 tie against the Ducks, where he did not allow a single goal the entire second half although the Bobcats did not walk away with a win.
However, the Bobcats’ engagements may not be over just yet. Milum is also hoping to organize the first ever intercollegiate soccer tournament in May, where he hopes his squad will be able to improve their performance. “I haven’t heard anything back yet, but that’s what I want to try to accomplish.”
You may contact William James at [email protected]
