By Patrick McCreedy
The season for the Peninsula Men’s Soccer is over with a tear-inducing loss against the 8th ranked Walla Walla.
This does not mean they don’t have a good squad and they promise a bright future ahead for the freshman team.
The Pirates were missing three starters from their line-up due to injuries when they went into this match including Cesar Gervacio, NWAC’s leading scorer with 18 goals, Adrien Benitez, who was second in assists in the NWAC, and Noah Scofield, one of their starting midfielders.
This was reminiscent of last year’s events and injuries holding the Pirates back except last year it was against the Tacoma Titans who eventually went on to win the NWAC Men’s Championship.
There is some good news for the men as several players were selected to be a part of the NWAC All-Stars including a repeat MVP for Cesar Gervacio.
Along with him being selected Adrian Benitez, Juan Carrillo-Perez, Sterling Penniston-John, Jose Serna, Michael Benito, Sergio Gonzalez Reyes, and Joey Hollimon were selected as a part of the All-Star team. Serna and Penniston-John are freshman this year.
“I’m extremely proud and pleased that we have five All-Stars being recognized for their hard work and determination,” Men’s Head Coach Jake Hughes said.
“These players, along with our All- Conference selections, have represented the program well and fully deserve the recognition.”
The Pirates will also be having six players graduate this year including Gervacio, Benitez, Carrillo-Perez, Michael Day, Gonzalez Reyes, and Hollimon.
“We have a Freshmen class returning that excites me,” Hughes said. “We have all the right characters, with talent and determination. We have everything we need to be successful moving forward. We have a philosophy and standard set in place to become champions again. I’m extremely proud and excited about our returning players.”
Next year, the team will end up starting after the NWAC All-Star game on November 12th. They will continue to prepare their sophomores to advance to four-year collegiate soccer, but they will also be looking to build a team around their freshman players.