DECEMBER 04, 2005

Rah! They did it! The University of Portland won the NCAA Women's Soccer National Championship today, and they did it with so much style and class. And they did it with a rout. Final score: UP 4 - UCLA 0.

To add to it, UP's Christine Sinclair scored twice, bringing her season totoal to 39 goals, which sets a new NCAA single-season scoring record, and it places her 2nd on the all time women's college soccer scoring list. Earlier this season, Christine also set an NCAA record for most consecutive games with a goal (17 games). Not surprisingly, Christine is now being called the best womens college player ever, a title previously held by Mia Hamm.

So UP won it, their second national title. Clive Charles would be so proud. Clive, who also played for the Timbers, led UP to their first national title in 2002, while he was battling prostate cancer, and then died 8 months later. Clive is the one who turned UP's soccer program into a success and, even though he passed away, he's still a massive influence on the team.

UP goalie Cori Alexander wore a bracelet bearing Clive's name during the games. Midfielder Lindsey Huie has Clive's initials and a set of footprints tattooed on her foot, in tribute to the great impact Clive had on her life. And when the final whistle blew today and UP won the championship, head coach Garrett Smith, who was coached by Clive as a UP player and then became one of Clive's assistant coaches, looked up to the sky and said, "Clive, there's no. 2 for you." It was enough to make you cry. And I did, along with so many other people.

It was beautiful and bittersweet today. The thrill of victory and a national championship. The heartache of the players who are graduating and won't be back. The pride of a tiny, less prestigious school working so hard and coming up big, proving what can be accomplished if you really set your mind, and your heart, to it. And the influence and memory of Clive Charles lingering over it all, like a guardian angel.

Sportswise, it doesn't get any better than this.

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