A positive end to 2020
Breakers talent Clarkson commits to UC Irvine
SANTA CRUZ >> Noah Clarkson, a talented soccer player and avid surfer, lost most of his possessions when the CZU Lightning Complex decimated his family’s Bonny Doon home in August.
Clarkson, a member of the Santa Cruz Breakers, made sure to pack his cherished surfboards when his family evacuated their 1.7-acre property. Between the fire and COVID-19 keeping him from competitive action on the soccer pitch, as well as his friends, it has been a tough year for the Scotts Valley High senior.
There have been some bright spots, too. Among them, Clarkson earlier this month gave a verbal commitment to play soccer for NCAA Division I UC Irvine.
“I’m super excited,” he said. “I visited the campus and thought it was a great place.”
Growing up, Clarkson essentially had two goals: play D-I soccer and do so on the West Coast, close to the ocean. A coastal college would provide fuel for his soul: a cool climate, scenery, and the opportunity to ride some waves. The ocean is one of his happy places.
Another happy place is on the soccer pitch. An attacking midfielder, Clarkson played for the Santa Cruz Sharks and Santa Cruz Revolution’s U8-U12 teams. He later played club for the San Jose Earthquakes on their U11-14 teams before joining the Breakers Academy in Santa Cruz, now Breakers FC.
Clarkson has met plenty of car
ing people through his soccer journey. His Breakers teammates were among those who lent a helping hand after his family lost their home. They took him on a shopping spree and hosted a dinner party.
A nother wa s former Earthquakes and Breakers coach Simon Tobin, a Santa Cruz resident who has served as San Jose State University’s head coach since 2014. Tobin liked Clarkson and what he brought to the game. Clarkson is a skilled and technical player who advances the ball with his eyes on the best pass to break through a defense.
“He’s always dangerous,” said Ryan Gomez, a Breakers teammate. “He can change the game in an instant. He can dribble in and make that final pass. And when he shoots it, he shoots it hard.”
Tobin offered Clarkson, who owns a 4.6 GPA, a scholarship, but he knew of the soccer player’s love of surfing. Tobin contacted Yossi Raz and told him about Clarkson’s talents.
Clarkson took an unofficial visit to Irvine last winter, after he and his father, Sam, returned from a surf trip near Seven Sisters in Baja California, Mexico. His mother, Sarah, f lew down to join her husband and son in their meeting with Raz. It lasted two hours.
In addition to seeking Clarkson’s perspective on soccer styles and strategy, Raz delved deep into Clarkson’s personality and family life, even asking about his relationship with his sister, Maya, a freshman on South Carolina’s equestrian team.
Raz is known to assemble teams by diving into a player’s psyche and functionality when trying to piece together cohesive units of the field. His strategy has brought him success, too. He posted a 5417-12 in four seasons at Cal Poly Pomona and in 2018, his second season leading UC Irvine, he led the Anteaters to the Big West Conference regular season title, a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and was named conference coach of the year.
In 2019, the Anteaters went 7-7- 5 with six losses by one goal.
“T hey ’ re ver y good,” Clarkson said. “It’s going to be very hard competition-wise. I’m going to have to work very hard and I’m excited to do that.
“Yossi is running a super confident and excellent program. I definitely think there’s bigger things to come.”
When the Clarksons sat in on the meeting with Yossi, Sam and Sarah shared the same thought: Wouldn’t it be cool if this guy coached our son for the next four years?
“He’s dy n amic a nd thoughtful,” Sarah said.
The Clarksons, with the help of some friends, relocated to Santa Cruz after the fire. Clarkson isn’t anywhere close to packing for college. He still has another semester at Scotts Valley to complete. But when he does, he knows a couple of things he’s bringing along for the journey. The same things he made a priority when evacuating his Bonny Doon home: his surfboards.
Clarkson will have a new home during college, but he won’t forget where he came from. He has made a handful of trips back to Bonny Doon to see the charred remnants of what was.
“It’s super hard to go back,” he said. “It’s different to see what it was and what it is now. But I think it’s good to go up and see. I lived there 17 years. I want to remind myself of where I lived. I still feel a connection to it.”