COUGAR COACHES

Tracy Nelson :: Head Coach
2004, 2005 & 2007 NWAACC Coach of the Year

Tracy Nelson began the program at Clackamas in 2002. A graduate of the University of Portland, she was a former standout player for the late, great Clive Charles at UP. Since departing UP, Tracy has excelled both as an amateur and professional player and as a coach at various levels.

Since the Cougar program’s debut in 2002, Tracy's teams have a combined 95-22-10 record for a phenomenal .787 winning percentage and harvested the three of the last four NWAACC league crowns. Tracy’s achievements have been recognized by the league in her selections as NWAACC Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005 & 2007 as well as Region Coach of the Year in 2002, 2004 & 2005. 

Tracy not only develops and forms her athletes into great players and teams; she also ensures they excel in the classroom. In the last three seasons ten of her sophomores were selected to the NWAACC All-Academic Team; a recognition reserved for sophomores achieving a 3.25 or higher GPA.

Dave Ellis :: First Assistant

This will be Dave’s first season with the Cougars.  He has a vast amount of experience coaching and managing Oregon youth soccer programs over the past eight years.  He is currently the assistant director of coaching for the Columbia Timbers and head coach for the 95B boys Oregon ODP.  He also coaches the Girls 92 Red and Boy 93 Red for the Timbers and is slated to lead the 96 Boys program for ODP next season. Dave’s 94B boys team won the Friendship Cup in 2007.

Dave’s previous assignments included Director of Coaching and founder of the Corvallis FA during the 2005-07 seasons. While with the Corvallis FA, Dave coached the U-16 and U-14 boys squads and acted as team trainer for the U-11 girls.

Dave also was the Corvallis Youth Director for the Oregon Untied Soccer Academy during the 2004-06 seasons.  He began his coaching career in 2001 leading the U-12, U-13 and U-15 boys teams.

Dave holds a US Soccer National  “C” License.

Saundra Hardy :: GK Coach

This is Coach Hardy’s sixth season with the Cougars. Along with her principal assistant duties, she is the Cougar’s goalie coach and spends much of her time scouting the Northwest for new talent. Two of Saundra’s former Cougar keepers have gone on to star at NAIA powerhouse Concordia University.

She has also coached Oregon State University summer camps since 2004 and spent stints coaching club soccer including the Lake Oswego and Eastside United clubs. She has also coached goalkeepers at several local high schools and at the University of Portland soccer summer camp.

Saundra originally hails from Gresham where she was an all-league midfielder for Gresham High School (1994-98). She honed her keeping skills playing goalie for multi state cup champion F.C. Portland during the 1994-98 seasons and was involved with Oregon ODP during the
1994-96 seasons.

Saundra then went on to star at NCAA Div III Wheaton College (IL) where as a freshman she set the school record for goals allowed with a 0.22 average. An injury cut her college playing career short after the 2000 season. She now teaches grade school for the Parkrose School District. Saundra also has experience refereeing soccer and in 1997, she was selected Region IV Referee of the Year.  Saundra holds a USSF National “D” License.

Megan Diebel :: Asst Coach

This is Megan's second season as a coach with the Cougars.  She is a 2003 Sam Barlow High School Alumni and played competitively for nine seasons before arriving as a freshman at Clackamas in 2003.  Megan didn't take long to establish her J.C. career at Clackamas as a defender when she was selected to the 2003 Southern Region All-Star squad. 

In 2005, she helped lead Clackamas to it's first NWAACC Championship, again earned all-star honors and was selected the top defensive player in the league.

Following Clackamas, Megan was picked up by Southern Oregon University to play soccer where she competed in 2006 for the Raiders. 

Megan has served as a volunteer coach for several organizations including Top Soccer of Portland ('04), Sizzlin Sisters '07 (Ashland, Ore.) and Ashland Family YMCA during the 2006-07 seasons.

Kevin Arizo :: Athletic Trainer

Kevin graduated from Pacific University 2003 with an Exercise Science major with an emphasis in Sports Medicine. Upon graduation, Kevin took on several trainer roles in the metro area.  He was an assistant trainer with the Portland Timbers during the 2003-05 seasons and in 2006 he became the head athletic trainer for the club. He has also worked for North Lake Physical Therapy clinic in Lake Oswego as an athletic trainer since 2003 and and for Lake Oswego High School as the school's trainer.