BOARDMAN — For Riverside seniors Edwin Pacheco and Neftali Pacheco, soccer is something that runs deep within their families and lives.
Both have been playing the sport since they were 5 years old, as prompted by their families, who have made soccer a longstanding tradition.
“My parents signed me up,” Edwin Pacheco, 17, recalled. “They were like, ‘You’re gonna play soccer.’ It runs in my family.”
And now, the two athletes share one more thing in common: they were both named the All-East Oregonian Soccer Players of the Year, capping off successful final seasons full of accolades with the Riverside Pirates.
“Out of all my years of playing soccer at Riverside, I never got any all-league selections until this year,” Edwin Pacheco said. “This year, I got a First Team (Eastern Oregon League selection), and now this. I guess hard work does pay off.”
And that hard work showed on the field throughout the year. The Pirates held a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season that earned them a 3A/2A/1A Special District 6 title for the fifth year in a row. They fell in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Oregon Episcopal in the state quarterfinals.
Teammates Gerardo Lopez, Ulyses Lopez, Cristian Rea, and Jose Torres also represent Riverside on the All-EO First Team. Umatilla’s Jefri Coria, Alexis Ruiz, Carlos Mejia, Cesar de la Cruz, and Cristian Alaniz, Irrigon’s Bradley Abercrombie and Marcos Rangel, and Pendleton’s Jon Lopez were also named as selections.
The Riverside girls squad also went without a loss in league action, finishing with a 7-0-1 EOL record. A 5-0 loss to Catlin Gabel in the state quarterfinals snapped a four-match win streak for the team to end their most recent season.
Neftali Pacheco, a forward, is joined by teammates Marisol Pacheco, Cinthya Diaz, Yazeli Ayala, Jaylene Altamirano, and Bianca Avalos on the All-EO First Team list. Umatilla’s Patty Burres, Taylor Durfey and Lizzy Burres, Irrigon’s Caren Cardenas, Hermiston’s Lanie Gomez and Cydney Lind, and Pendleton’s Reilly Lovercheck also fill out the team.
“On the field, I just forget about everything else,” said Neftali Pacheco, 17. “I just play. I have a connection with the sport. This feels really good. I’ve definitely gotten better throughout the years.”
Commanding the crew
For his last year with the Pirates, Edwin Pacheco, a defender, finished the season with eight goals and 12 assists. Along with his all-league first team selection, he was also named a first-team player on the 3A/2A/1A all-state list.
“He’s a leader,” Riverside boys head coach Jose Duenas said. “From the get-go, he saw the bigger picture. It was really amazing to have him on the team.”
Duenas, a first-year head coach for the Pirates, was named the All-EO Coach of the Year.
“We went through a big transition at the beginning of the season,” Duenas said. “It was rough. We got our rude awakening out of the way early on. We were able to move forth. Having support from my brother (assistant coach Edgar Duenas) was a big help. He supported me in every decision.”
Neftali Pacheco’s versatility on the field for her final season with the Pirates netted her 12 goals and 10 assists.
“It’s always nice to have a player that can adjust,” Riverside girls head coach Carlos Velasco said. “We can move her to center mid, left and right mid, forward — anywhere. She is easy to coach because she’s always up for the challenge. She was willing to try and do her best in every position.”
Velasco shares the All-EO Coach of the Year honor with Duenas to finish off his seventh season at the Pirates’ helm.
“We are growing as a team,” Velasco said. “When I made the move to coach the girls team seven years ago, we were a losing team. Now, we’re competing in the second round of state. We are making moves in the right direction.”
Fighting through the pain
Despite what his senior-year accomplishments may suggest, Edwin Pacheco only has three years of experience on the Riverside varsity boys team. He joined the Pirates as a freshman, making the roster alongside four of his older cousins — Kevin Madrigal, Miseal Madrigal, Alexis Cambero, and David Araiza.
“It was actually kind of scary,” he said. “Everyone was older than me. I was at the bottom of the food chain.”
As a freshman, the pressure of performing at a higher level with older, more experienced players got the best of him. He opted to not to rejoin the team for his sophomore year.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m not good,’” Edwin Pacheco said. “I was scared. I didn’t want to let the team down. And I wouldn’t get any playing time. I tried, but I sucked. The season ended, and I told myself, ‘They don’t need me. They don’t like me.’ I was hiding from everyone. The coach begged me to join. I heard the team was doing really good during my sophomore year, and I felt so much regret. I was being selfish.”
He wouldn’t let his fears get the best of him again. Despite a back injury suffered at a practice that hindered some of his junior season, he found himself back with the Pirates. He sees his senior year as the most successful of his career.
“I didn’t get hurt at all,” he said of his senior year. “I put in a lot of work. I’m proud of what I did. Out of all my years in high school, this one was different.”
Fear of joining a more experienced soccer squad also posed a threat to Neftali Pacheco when she was a freshman. Her mother, Alejandra, coached her youth soccer teams before she made the transition to Riverside, where she had to play under a new coach, and a whole new team.
“I was scared of playing with girls that I didn’t grow up with,” she said. “But they were all nice. They encouraged me. My freshman year was the first year (our program) ever won a district championship.”
And she has helped her team to a district title every year since, including her senior season, despite a muscle injury suffered early on. As a captain, Neftali Pacheco recognizes that a solid team chemistry plays an important part in any successful season.
“We know each other and how we play,” she said of her team. “We know what our strengths and weaknesses are. You build a bond with your teammates. That helps on the field.”
Moving beyond the life as Pirates
Now that their tenures as Pirates soccer stars have officially come to a close, Edwin Pacheco will be taking an internship with the Port of Morrow after graduation.
“I really want to keep playing soccer,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of not playing soccer. I wouldn’t want all of my hard work to go to waste.”
Neftali Pacheco has already received offers from a number of community colleges, including Blue Mountain, Columbia Basin, and Portland. She will pursue a degree in kinesiology after graduating from Riverside.
“I always gave it my all,” she said. “I got better throughout every year. I improved myself. My team accomplished so much.”
2019-12-26 07:38:00Z
https://www.eastoregonian.com/sports/local/all-eo-soccer-team-fearless-leaders/article_00896bc0-25b6-11ea-be68-93c545fb5db1.html
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