Jose Clemente: The Owls’ missing piece

By Matt Cain

Contributor

The men’s soccer team is filled with people from all over the world with different countries and backgrounds who all have one goal and common interest: soccer.

After being welcomed with open arms, Clemente fit right into place. The recent transfer and stand-out forward Jose Clemente, a senior, has been on fire with his new team.

The senior transfer from the College of Saint Rose, has been contributing in his first five games with the Owls. He has scored four goals this year, taking only five shots.

Clemente is leading the team in goals made and shots attempted. While only playing 15 games for Saint Rose, he led that team in goals with eight and points with 18, and would become a standout star on any team he would played for.

With the recent closure of Saint Rose, Clemente was in the right place at the right time. He was a great pickup from the transfer portal and seems to be the last key piece to this hard-working team.

“Through the process, we knew Jose was going to be a leader within our group,” Head Coach Kevin Anderson said. “We knew he was going to be somebody that this group respected.”

With the addition of Clemente, the Owls locker room has been closer than it has ever been. Coach Anderson runs a tight ship and has everybody buying into the revamp of the program.

The Owls have a very rich history when it comes to soccer. They appeared in 17 NCAA final-four, winning six national championships, the most in any Division ll men’s soccer program in the country and making.

This includes Anderson, who was a part of the 1992 national championship team.

“Coming here was not my idea. My other college had its own situation, and then I weighed my options,” Clemente said. “The history of this program helped my decision very much.”

Anderson came back to his alma mater in 2023, making an immediate impact by building up the team through recruits and the transfer portal. Along with his coaching staff, he strives for their men to not only be hard workers on the field but in every aspect of being a student athlete.

Clemente fits the description, as he is currently studying for his master’s degree in business administration.

While being a key player to this team, Clemente is also a great person outside the soccer field. Off the field, Clemente and other teammates connect, study film and even figure out new strategies to win games.

Midfielder and team captain Umberto Catale, a senior, loves playing with Clemente because of his technique and skills on the field. They share a connection through their European origins, and this common background has sparked great chemistry and teamwork on the field.  

“We have a great relationship, and we keep leaning on that. We are like brothers,” Catale said.

The recent success of this team comes from the brotherhood in the locker room. Coach Anderson has put steps in place to bring the program back to the top, and adding Clemente could be the secret ingredient for raising the seventh banner at Jess Dow Field.

“The end goal for me is that everybody walks away feeling valued, but I’m grateful to come back to Southern, and I came back to win that seventh national championship.”