Submitted by The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College midfielders Emmanuel Nicasio (Sr.) and Juan Mendez (Jr.) lead the Geoducks in scoring this season on the men’s soccer team. Both players have provided six total points, with Nicasio earning two goals and two assists, while Mendez has contributed three goals. They have created significant worries for opposing defense, especially in recent games.
“I have known Manny for several years going back to spring of 2019 when our program was first recruiting him out of Shelton High School,” Evergreen Head Men’s Soccer Coach Steve Schmidt said. “He has been a big part of our local soccer community based on his play on the field as well as his work in the community, running several youth soccer clinics over the years.”
“Juan is a bit different story,” Schmidt noted. “Originally from Ecuador, Spanish is his native language. We do our best to communicate directly, however we often need a translator for the nuances of the communication. He also currently does not live in the Olympia area and commutes to practices and games.”
Nicasio and Mendez were key players this past weekend, when the Geoducks defeated Corban University 3-1 on Oct. 11 and tied Bushnell University 1-1 on Oct. 12. Against Corban, Nicasio began the scoring with a free kick goal form 21 yards out just 2:19 into the game. Later, he assisted on a goal by Kolby Juarez. Mendez gave the Geoducks a 3-0 lead with a goal from eight yards in the second half. Evergreen’s goal in the tie with Bushnell was earned by Mendez and was assisted by Nicasio about 16 minutes into the game.
In addition to scoring goals and assists, the two key players also created many quality scoring chances for Evergreen. In addition, they worked together very well, as Nicasio frequently found Mendez in open space and passed him the ball. Their efforts helped Evergreen register 19 shots versus the Warriors and 18 shots against the Beacons.
“You will be hard pressed to find a player that works harder than Manny on the field. His strength and agility allow him to navigate a significant amount of pressure in games,” Schmidt said. “He is relentless without the ball, constantly hunting for an opportunity to win the ball from his opponent. Once on the ball, he is extremely efficient, and it is rare for a defender to win the ball off of him. Because of this, we have moved him a bit higher on the field this season to help generate more attacking opportunities for the team. Despite only playing in seven games thus far this year, he has out gained his attacking statistics from the entirety of last year. We expect his statistics to continue to reflect his positive influence on our team’s ability to score goals.”
“Juan brings a calming presence to the game,” Schmidt commented. “At this level, where many players are influenced by the pressure of the moment and emotions of the game, Juan is unwavering in his decision-making and actions. Every time he is on the field, he positions himself in attacking spaces that allow our team to break pressure and create chances at goal. This is evident by the fact that he leads our team in goals despite playing in only five matches thus far this season.”
Evergreen is 2-7-1 on the season, but the Geoducks have achieved a 2-2-1 record during the past five contests. The Geoducks are 2-4-1 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference as they enter two home conference games this weekend. On Friday, Oct. 18, Evergreen will take on Rocky Mountain College at Geoduck Pitch at 3 p.m. PDT. On Sunday, Oct. 20, Evergreen will battle Walla Walla University, also at 3 p.m.
