By Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles High School’s Jesse Salgado made a decision to keep it local, signing a letter of intent Tuesday to play for the Peninsula College Pirates men’s soccer team.
Salgado, who is a striker for the Roughriders but has also played central defensive midfielder and center back on club teams, said he chose Peninsula, “one, because it saves me money and two, because I just love the college. This is a really good opportunity.” He is also looking forward to all of his Port Angeles family and friends being able to keep watching him play soccer.
“Our local college is the best,” said Port Angeles boys assistant soccer coach Scott Moseley. Moseley, who also is head coach of the Rider girls, told Salgado that it takes a lot of support for a player to get to the collegiate level, starting from youth sports, and to “not forget all those people who supported you over the years.”
“I owe it all to my parents and family and God,” Salgado said.
Salgado said years ago when he first joined a U15 team in Kitsap County, his coach, Andrew Chapman (also a longtime Peninsula men’s head coach) “took a chance on me. I was one of the worst players on that team.”
Jesse’s parents are Jill and Mario Salgado.
Jesse’s father, Mario Salgado said it took a lot of effort at times to keep his son going in soccer because of the travel. But, that he was proud of his son for how hard he worked.
“There were a lot of days where we said, ‘we don’t to do this. We’re tired, we’re broke.’ But, [Jesse] kept progressing. He kept his part of the bargain,” Mario Salgado said.
Peninsula College has one of the strongest soccer programs in the Northwest Conference. The Pirates won the NWAC championship in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 and lost only one game last season.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
