Peninsula College men’s soccer 2015 season preview
Head coach: Cale Rodriguez (first season)
2014 record: 9-1-3, second in West Division, 13-2-4 overall; 1-1, quarterfinal berth at NWAC tournament
Top returners: Eddie Benito (M), Micah Weller (M), Nick Johnson (GK), Trevan Estrellado (M), Manny Medina (D)
Key newcomers: Henry Bernabe (MF), Carlos Harvey Jr. (F/MF), Jonathan Martinez (F), Steven Moreno (MF), Jared Ortiz (D/MF), Joe Sorensen (F/MF), Jose Soto (D), Demar Stewart (D), Salvador Vargas (MF), Jonathan Vasquez (MF)
by MICHAEL DASHIELL
Sequim Gazette
It’s not quite 9 a.m. on a warming Port Angeles morning and already the Peninsula Pirates are sucking wind.
The squad of late teens and early 20-somethings are closing out a preseason practice with wind sprints. And while assistant coaches are urging them on with mentions of on-field victories and NWAC title hopes, new Pirate coach Cale Rodriguez is hoping that his players are staying in the moment.
“(I expect) my guys to be focused every day, to give 100 percent,” Rodriguez says. “For me, it’s not winning an NWAC championship. I want training to be intense, to be more difficult than a match. I want my players to strive for excellence.
“I want us to focus on the process,” he says, rather than focusing on an end result. If they do? “Good things will happen.”
In March, Peninsula hired Rodriguez to lead a program that’s been a perennial title NWAC contender. Peninsula earned conference titles in 2010, 2012 and 2013 under coach Andrew Chapman. Under the leadership of coach Kanyon Anderson — who also was coaching the women’s team — P.C. finished 2014 with a record of 13-2-4, eventually bowing out in the quarterfinal playoffs to North Idaho.
Peninsula out-scored opponents 40-16 and recorded six shutouts, was ranked in the top 10 nationally for most of the year before falling to No. 18 at season’s end, and placed six players on the NWAC All-Star Team and six players on the NWAC All-Academic Team.
But, as is the case with every junior college program, the Pirates are in rebuilding mode. The team lost 11 sophomores to graduation — including top goal-scorer Caio Maciel and his 10 goals — and another eight freshmen who have moved on.
Rodriguez came on in March and got a chance to see not only what Peninsula returns but also what they needed in a recruiting class.
“You can never be too athletic (but) size was not particularly important,” Rodriguez says of this year’s recruiting class. Rather, he says, it was adding depth to an already solid lineup.
That lineup sees the return of midfielders Eddie Benito and Micah Weller, who were named team captains for 2015. Benito was second on the team in both goals (seven) and assists (four) while Weller added four scores.
Also back is Trevan Estrellado, who posted a team-high five assists, plus defenders Santi Sierra and Manny Medina.
“They have high expectations on the field,” Rodriguez says. “I’m looking for all those guys to step up.”
The Pirates also see sophomore goalkeeper Nick Johnson back in the mix; Johnson, a Hillsboro, Ore., native, had one of Peninsula’s six shutouts in 2014.
The newcomers
Rodriguez and Peninsula coaches were able to secure a number of top athletes from across the western states and Hawaii to help bolster the 2015 lineup.
“I believe there is a lot of talent in this group that will complement our returning players,” Rodriguez says. “I wanted to make sure that not only did we bring in good soccer players, but that we bring in good character guys as well.”
On the attacking side, P.C. adds Jonathan Martinez from North Las Vegas, who was selected All-Southern Nevada during his high school career and was twice named Player of the Year in Southern Nevada.
“He can score goals in bunches and will undoubtedly have an immediate impact on our program,” Rodriguez says of Martinez.
C.J. Harvey from Kapolei, Hawaii, is a second team All-State player who adds speed to the Pirate attack.
The Pirates added five key pieces to the midfield with their recruiting class. Among them are Nevada natives Henry Bernabe, Steven Moreno and Salvador Vargas, Joe Sorensen of Portland, Ore., and Jonathan Vasquez of Porterville, Calif. Vargas was a first team all-state selection his junior season and Offensive Player of the Year and MVP honors his senior season while Vasquez garnered a league MVP award his senior season.
The recruiting class includes a trio of defenders. Jared Ortiz played for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II champions in La Quinta High School in his senior season, being named Player of the Game in the championship match.
“He can probably play anywhere on the field as he has a unique skill set,” Rodriguez says of Ortiz.
Center back Jose Soto was named first team All-CIF his final three years and All-Regional team his senior season in Ontario, Calif.
Demar Stewart, a Wahiawa, Hawaii native, bolsters the Pirate defense on the outside.
“He covers a lot of ground because of his athleticism and makes things look easy,” Rodriguez says of Stewart. “He will contribute immediately to our back line.”
Peninsula newbie
In March, Rodriguez — a Redlands, Calif., native — became the fourth Peninsula College men’s soccer head coach.
He left his position as the assistant coach at University of Redlands, where he coached from 2012-2015. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas from 2011-2012.
The California native also played college soccer at Redlands, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2010 and a master’s degree in higher education in 2014.
Rodriguez is not only a soccer coach at Peninsula; he’ll teach physical education on a part-time faculty contract this fall.
Rodriguez says he came to Peninsula not just because the program has shown on-the-field success, but that the program gets plenty of support from the college.
“This is my passion,” he says, moments after wrapping up an early morning training session. “What else would I rather be doing?”
On tap
Peninsula shifts to the North Division this year to face the likes of Edmonds, Everett, Shoreline, Skagit Valley and Whatcom. The shift also takes them out of the same division as 2014 champion Highline.
The Pirates open up the season with a pair of non-conference games against Walla Walla and Highline on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 in Eugene, Ore. The Pirates are at North Idaho on Sept. 5 and Bellevue on Sept. 9 before hosting their home-opener on Sept. 12 against Shoreline.
