PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College soccer coach Andrew Chapman this past week signed five very talented recruits, including two national champions out of Reno and a former member of the Venezuelan Junior National Team.
Alex Martinez and Irvin Somera, whose Sagebrush United team won the National U.S. Club Championship and the National President’s Cup, signed letters of intent to play for the Pirates next fall.
Martinez, a 5-foot-9 center midfielder, played at North Valley High School in Reno where he was named the Washoe County Most Valuable Player, he was a three-time winner of the Sheels Athlete of the Month award and his team earned two division championships.
“Alex plays with great pace and moves the ball well,” Chapman said.
“He is very competitive and can play multiple positions. He likes to defend and attack, which sometimes is a hard combo to get with a player.”
Somera, a 5-11 defensive midfielder, played at Spanish Springs High in Reno.
The four-year varsity player was named first team all-league three times and was named Midfielder of the Year in 2010 and 2011.
“Irvin has great size and defends really well,” Chapman said.
“He wins balls really well and distributes out of the middle with ease. He has great vision and likes to switch the ball.”
Arturo Oberto, a 5-10 goalkeeper from Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska, also signed a letter of intent to play for the Pirates.
Oberto played three years for Dimond and was named to the Alaska All-State team twice.
He was also on the Alaska State ODP team and named to the Regional Pool in 2010. Before moving to Alaska he played for the U-15 national team in Venezuela.
“Arturo is a great shot-stopper who really flies around the field,” Chapman said.
“He distributes with both feet very accurately, which is something you normally don’t get from goalkeepers. He loves to have his teams pass the ball to his feet.”
Others to sign letters of intent to play for the Pirate men include Alan Millington and Kyle Campbell.
Millington is a 6-foot defender from West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska. He was named to the all-conference team last season and he served as captain for his club team that won four state championships.
“Alan is a very aggressive player,” Chapman said.
“He controls the defense and has good speed. He always seems to be in the right spot.”
Campbell is a 5-10 center defender from Reed High in Sparks, Nevada. He was a three-year captain and MVP of a club team that won the Nevada state championship in 2010.
He was also captain of his high school team and also played for the Nevada ODP team for two years and the Regional ODP team one year.
“K.C. actually graduated high school two years ago and is a little older than most incoming players,” Chapman said.
“He is very strong and vocal. We are looking for him to come in and make a big impact on the leadership of our team.”