By Michael Dashiell

Sequim Gazette

How about an encore?

It didn’t take long for first-year head coach Cale Rodriguez to push his Peninsula Pirates men’s soccer squad back atop the NWAC mountain in 2015, helping PC earn its fourth title in just six seasons.

Now in his first season of rebuilding a strong roster, Rodriguez said he likes what he sees from the 2016 recruiting class.

“This class so far is an excellent group of talent and high character individuals,” Rodriguez said.

“We are still looking to add several players to this group that will only make this class that much stronger. I am hopeful that this group can step in right away and help the program continue a high level of success with the help and experience of the returning group.”

The Pirates will need it if they hope to defend their NWAC crown. Peninsula racked up a 16-3-3 overall record and 11-2-2 (first) in the West Division, but then nine players from last year’s championship team signed to play at colleges and universities across the country — two to Division I schools, four to Division II, one to a Division III program and two to NAIA schools.

Gone is Johnny Martinez (12 goals, seven assists) who was named Most Valuable Player in North Division, along with North Men’s All-Star Team members Eddie Benito (led team with 8 assists), Trevan Estrellado, Santiago Sierra and Jonathan Vasquez. Also missing is Keo Ponce, who led PC with 14 goals (tied for second in NWAC) and had two scores in the championship game, and starting goalkeeper Nick Johnson.

All star Jose Soto is back, however. The sophomore from Ontario, Calif., scored the game-winner in NWAC final, a 4-3 win against Spokane.

The Pirates open their non-conference play with a pair of games in Springfield, Ore., taking on Clark on Aug. 27 and Highline on Aug. 28.

Peninsula opens conference play Sept. 10 at Shoreline and hosts a conference home opener Sept. 17 against Skagit Valley.

Rodriguez’s early assessments of this year’s recruits:

• Joey Hollimon (Forward, Liberty High School, LVSA 98 Red, Las Vegas, Nev.)

“Joey is a big, strong for-ward out of Las Vegas coached by one of the better coaches in this region in Liam Connors. He’s good with the ball at his feet and has a lot of upside. He’s only going to get better in this type of environment and I think he will surprise a lot of people.”

• Cesar Gervacio (Forward, Stein High School, Earthquakes East Valley, Tracy, Calif.)

“Cesar is a huge pickup for our program. He spent some time with the San Jose Earthquakes academy and played for one of the best youth teams in California with Earthquakes East Valley and coach John Powell. He’s very versatile and has a lot of tools. He scores goals for fun.”

• Kevin Medina (Winger, Weston Ranch High School, Central Valley Monarcas Academy, Stockton, Calif.)

“Kevin is a nice wide player with good attacking skills. He played for one of the best youth teams in California and coach Jordan Ferrell. He was a two-time All-League performer in high school. He’s good one-on-one and can make things happen from wide positions. I believe he will be very effective in our league.”

• Saul Araiza (Forward, Edison High School, Central Valley Monarcas Academy, Stockton, Calif.)

Saul is a true No. 9 that has a knack for scoring goals. He played for one of the better teams in California and coach Matt Gow. He was a two-time All-League performer and MVP in high school. He’s extremely tough and difficult to defend because of his movement and skill set. He will complement some of our other attacking players very well.”

• Jason Ramos (Center Back, Montebello High School, CUSC 98 Blue, Montebello, Calif.)

“Jason is fantastic pickup and steal for our program. I randomly saw him play at a high school tournament during winter break. He not only has very good size but is very good with his feet and great in the air. He was a two-time MVP in high school and has spent time both as a back player and in the midfield. That experience will allow him to make contributions to our program right away.”

• Jack Coupe (Outside Back, Central Kitsap High School, Kitsap Alliance FC, Silverdale)

“Jack is somewhat of a local product. He played for one of the better youth teams in the state of Washington and coach Cammy Macdonald. He was an All-League performer his senior high school season. He has good size and athleticism and will improve tremendously during his time here.”

• Brannon Dwyer (Goalkeeper, Redwood High School, Marin FC, Larkspur, Calif.)

“Brannon is a huge pickup for our program. We were very fortunate to land him as he was highly coveted by many schools. He has great size and is excellent with his feet. He was well-coached by David Frank for his club team and will compete right away to be the No. 1 goalkeeper.”

• Miguel Valderrama (Center Midfield, La Sierra High School, Riverside MGFM, Riverside, Calif.)

“Miguel is a nice left-footed player that can do a lot of things on the field. I was fortunate enough to see him play in one of the last showcases I attended. He can cover a lot of ground and has excellent skills to be effective in defense and attack. He’s going to do the little things to help a team win.”

• Marlon Nava (Left Back, Newport Harbor High School, Pateadores Irvine, Costa Mesa, Calif.)

“Marlon has been on my radar for quite some time now. He was an All-League performer his senior year of high school and has spent some time with academy programs in the U.S. and Mexico. He’s very good technically and has a knack of getting forward. He can play multiple positions but I like what he brings to the game in the left back position.”

• Sergio Uribe (Goalkeeper, Pittsburg High School, Notre Dame de Namur University, Pittsburg, Calif.)

“Sergio is an experienced goalkeeper that is transferring from one of the better Division II programs and coaches in the west region in NDNU and BJ Noble. He is technically very sound in all facets of the goalkeeping position and is extremely competitive. He will challenge to be the No. 1 goalkeeper right away.”

• Danny Plascencia (Winger, San Diego Virtual School, Albion SC Garton, San Diego, Calif.)

“Danny is nice player that I randomly saw during a Thanksgiving showcase. He happened to be guest playing for a team as he was with the Nomads academy program at the time. He’s very technical and can strike a ball well with his left foot. He is very good in the attacking third because he moves off the ball well. He will only get better in this type of environment and fits very well with how we want to play.”

• Jorge Gonzalez (Center Midfield, San Diego Virtual School, Nomads SC, San Diego, Calif.)

“Jorge is a great pickup for our program and will fill a big hole in the central midfield position. He is a true box-to-box midfielder and is effective on both sides of the ball. He played for one of the better academy programs in the country at Nomads SC. His experience playing at the academy level will prove to be very valuable during his time here at Peninsula.”

Fall sports preview: PC men’s soccer

2015 record: 16-3-3 overall, 11-2-2 (first) in West Division; NWAC champions

Head coach: Cale Rodriguez (second season)

Assistant: Jake Hughes

Top returning players: Jose Soto (D), Demar Stewart (D)

Key newcomers: Joey Hollimon (F), Cesar Gervacio (F), Jason Ramos (D), Saul Araiza (F), Kevin Medina (M), Brannon Dwyer (GK), Jack Coupe (D)

The Roster

No. Name Year Pos. Hometown

0 Brannon Dwyer Fr. GK Larkspur, Calif.

00 Sergio Uribe So. GK Pittsburg, Calif.

1 Josh Heckenlively So. GK Anchorage, Alaska

2 Jason Ramos Fr. D Montebello, Calif.

3 Demar Stewart So. D Wahiawa, Hawaii

4 Jose Soto So. D Ontario, Calif.

5 Jacob Holguin So. D Las Vegas, Nev.

6 Marlon Nava Fr. M Costa Mesa, Calif.

7 Miguel Valderrama Fr. M Riverside, Calif.

8 Jared Ortiz So. M La Quinta, Calif.

9 Kevin Medina Fr. M Stockton, Calif.

10 Salvador Vargas So. M Incline Village, Nev.

11 Henry Bernabe So. M Las Vegas, Nev.

12 Jack Coupe Fr. D Bremerton

13 Joey Hollimon Fr. F Las Vegas, Nev.

14 Sergio Gonzalez Reyes Fr. M Reno, Nev.

16 Juan Carillo Fr. F San Jose, Calif.

17 Cesar Gervacio Fr. F San Jose, Calif.

19 Michael Day Fr. D Chino Hills, Calif.

23 Saul Araiza Fr. F Stockton, Calif.

24 Clarence Wong So. D Kapolei, Hawaii

2016 schedule

Sun., Aug. 14 at University of Victoria 1 p.m.

Mon., Aug. 22 vs. Bellevue 2 p.m.

• Non-conference schedule

Sat., Aug. 27 vs. Clark (at Springfield, Ore.) 1 p.m.

Sun., Aug. 28 vs. Highline men (at Springfield, Ore.) Noon

Mon., Sept. 5 at Spokane 12:15 p.m.

• Conference schedule

Sat., Sept. 10 at Shoreline 2 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 14 at Everett 4 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 17 vs. Skagit Valley 2 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 21 at Whatcom 4:15 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 24 vs. Edmonds 2 p.m.

Wed., Sept. 28 vs. Shoreline 4 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 1 vs. Everett 2 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 5 vs. Skagit Valley 4 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 8 vs. Whatcom 2 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 12 at Edmonds 6:15 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 15 vs. Shoreline 2 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 19 at Everett 4 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 22 at Skagit Valley 2 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 26 at Whatcom 4:15 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 29 vs. Edmonds 2 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 2 NWAC First Round

Sat., Nov. 5 NWAC Quarterfinals

Nov. 11-13 NWAC Finals at Starfire (Tukwila)