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Trinity coach Kurt Clawson talks to his team.

The girls soccer team at Euless Trinity High School has mantra: "We fight for our coach, he fights for our country."

So in the middle of the week, in the middle of the soccer season, the team is trying to keep its mind on the next opponent and not on what's next.

"He's almost become a dad to me so it's been really hard, knowing that he's not going to be here," said Elissa Fralicks, a Trinity midfielder.

Said Ashley Armendariz, also a midfielder: "I know for me, I just want to play for him so he can see us do our best before he leaves."

Trinity is a program on the rise. A year ago, the Lady Trojans won their first playoff game in 15 years. If they are going to continue to rise, they will have to do it without their head coach, Kurt Clawson.

Since 2005, Clawson has been in the Army National Guard and he was recently called up for active duty. He will have six weeks of training in Oklahoma, then five months of intelligence training in Arizona. By the time the next school year is beginning, Clawson will be on his way to Iraq.

"I'm kind of equating it, because I'm a coach, I'm doing all this practice, and I feel like I’ve been sitting on the bench," he says. "I've been practicing a long time, and now I finally am getting into the game, and you don't want to just practice, practice, practice and never get to use it.

"I don't feel like that's really serving your country, because there are a lot of people who have done more than me, and they've done it. Why can't I?"

His father, Charles Clawson, spent six years in the Marine Reserves in the 1970s. His father, Harry Clawson, is a World War II veteran.

"There's a unique feel between military people," Charles Clawson says. "A feeling of responsibility, pride, and I'm sure all that entered into his decision.

"I understand it, looking back, I really wish I'd gone to Vietnam, which, then I certainly didn't want to, but today I wish I had."

Before Kurt Clawson signed up for the Army National Guard three years ago, the closest he got to the military was as an Eagle Scout, in high school. But he had a real feeling of responsibility to serve his country and it was too strong to ignore.

"I just looked at it, hey, you're not doing your part," he says. "I got tired of looking myself in the mirror and thinking I never even gave it a try."

Clawson is different from a lot of young men who enter the military. He's 33, has a career, he's married and he's a father.

"I know he'll miss me, but his number one is Asher," says his wife Lori of their 17-month old son.

"I can talk to my wife, webcam and stuff," Kurt Clawson says. "But since [Asher] can't talk on the phone, just hoping he recognizes my voice, and then when we get to webcam and everything, he can see me and he can recognize me off base."

As hard as it will be to leave his family - and his team - behind, he can take with him a good memory of his last game. The Lady Trojans played perhaps their best game of the season, in a 7-1 win.

"I know for a fact that everybody played their heart out today and when he leaves I just know everyone is just going to continue and we're just going to keep playing for him because that's what he deserves," said Jordan Pepper, a center midfielder.

Then it was time for the coach to say goodbye.

"Hey, if I taught you a little soccer, great. I hope that it, I dunno, I hope I taught you more about not wanting to leave anything behind and putting everything you got into what you do," Clawson told his team.

"I love you guys, y'all have a good year. I'm done. I actually have to get to base."

He's a coach who now fights for his country.