By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Highline College polished off an impressive men's soccer season by taking the NWAC title Sunday, Nov. 16.
The Thunderbirds downed the Northern Idaho College Cardinals by a 3-0 score in the championship game played at the Starfire complex in Tukwila.

Highline finished with a 15-2-4 overall record including a 3-0 playoff run.

The Thunderbirds opened the playoffs with a 4-2 win over Whatcom on Saturday, Nov. 8 before downing Skagit Valley by a 4-1 score Saturday, Nov. 15 and then winning the final.

Four area graduates helped out the Thunderbirds' cause this season.

Armando Castillo is a sophomore defender from Mount Rainier and Alex Castillo is a sophomore midfielder from Mount Rainier.

Marco Manzon checks in as a freshman defender from Highline High School and Ben Clayton a freshman defender from Mount Rainier.

Scoring the three goals in the championship match in order were Brandon Madsen, Vinny Nguyen and Jacob Jones.

Nguyen was named as the NWAC tournament Most Valuable Player.

The Highline College women's soccer team, meanwhile, posted an even better record of 18-2-2 but was eliminated, 1-0, in a road game against the Spokane Sasquatch on Saturday, Nov. 8.

The Thunderbirds' volleyball team went 11-3 in its league and 31-17 overall.

It was eliminated by a pair of playoff losses to Chemeketa and Skagit Valley played in Tacoma on Thursday, Nov. 20.