The Times Athlete of the Week: Ottawa’s Morgan Clements

Ottawa girls soccer’s Morgan Clements received 228 of the 428 votes cast, on a ballot that included runner-up Logan Nelson (Marquette baseball), Anna Bruno (Seneca girls track and field) and Caden Wheeler (Newark baseball), to be named The Times Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Northern Insurance Group LTD, Jim Boes Services and Christian Reynolds American Family Insurance.

In the week she won, Clements scored a goal and assisted on Ottawa’s other three in a 4-2 victory over Princeton.

Here is a Q&A with this week’s winner:

Do you have any nicknames?

MoMo.

How old were you when you started playing soccer, and where did you start playing?

I started playing soccer at 8 years old at the YMCA.

The team has put together a couple nice wins of late, including a road win at Princeton that saw you score one of your team’s four goals and assist the three others? What was working for you that game?

We played with better control and kept possession of the ball better.

Which feels better: scoring a goal or assisting a teammate’s score?

I do like both, but scoring is better.

You scored a home win over Plano in a penalty-kick shootout. What goes through your mind during a shootout when it’s your turn to kick and when your teammates/goalie are center stage?

I try not to stress out when it’s my turn to take the PK. I focus on placement and not power. Watching my teammates during PKs stresses me out. I try to give advice and support.

What goals do you have for yourself this season as a team and individually?

As a team, we would like to get a few more wins. As an individual, I want to get a hat trick in a game.

What movie would you say you’ve watched more than any other in your life?

I can’t pick between two, “Beauty and the Beast” [2017 with Emma Watson] or “Mamma Mia!”

You’re going to a local restaurant with teammates to celebrate a big win and it’s your pick. Where are you going? What are you ordering?

I will go anywhere. I will order French fries with ketchup.

Is there a fact about you that might surprise people who only know you through sports?

I really enjoy music of all kinds, and the best concert I have been to so far was Harry Styles.

Do you have any college plans yet? If so, do they involve sports?

I will attend IVCC in the fall and start the path to become a physical therapist. I don’t plan to play soccer in college.