If the Penticton Pinnacles are to improve on their disappointing last-place finish of 2009, they‘ll need to make a serious case for the defence.
The Pinnacles open the Pacific Coast Men‘s Soccer League Reserve Men‘s Division season with a road game this Saturday against the Kamloops Excel.
“We gave up the second most goals in the league last season and that can‘t happen if we want to win,” said new head coach Chris Bennett, a former Vancouver Whitecaps player and a long-time successful coach at the professional and national team levels.
“You always want to build from the back and move forward. We scored the second most goals in the league last season and we should be able to score enough this season.”
Bennett said he was brought in by the South Okanagan Youth Soccer Association to “resurrect” the Pinnacles program at the PCSL level. Bennett has been working with SOYSA players for four years and also runs a successful soccer academy at Glenfir School in Summerland.
Bennett said he has spoken to around 50 players about playing this season, but noted several are unable to commit on a full-time basis.
“We‘ve got a good squad, we just need a full-time goalkeeper and another striker” to play up front with Randy Hubber, who was third in the league with seven goals last season.
Bennett, who has numerous contacts in the Lower Mainland, was able to secure standout overage goalkeeper Michael Maloney. However, Maloney won‘t be available for all Pinnacles games this season.
“There‘s no one ready right now to play goal at this level in the South Okanagan,” said Bennett. “We‘re likely going to have to go outside the area and bring someone in from Kelowna or Vernon.”
The Pinnacles will be deep on defence and in the midfield.
Bennett signed Alden Bunjaku of Penticton and Jeremy Pereira as overage players (teams are allowed to carry three players over the age of 21). Also back in the mix are Hubber, Harry Holman, Dion Gouldsborough, Nathan Surkan, Sean Peterson and Marino Mellaart from Penticton, Tyler Allison from Keremeos, and Travis Peterson, who just moved here from Edmonton.
Bennett also signed youngsters Garrett and Jacob Canziante from Trail. Other players Bennett is looking at include Devin Ullrich and Connor Hawley from Penticton, Joey Munro and Patrick Allen from Keremeos and Kyle Morgan from Summerland.
Bennett also hoped to have local youth soccer products Morgan Brownjohn and Ross Rufiange, but both will be living elsewhere this summer and will be unavailable.
The Pinnacles play their first home games May 15 against Chilliwack and May 16 versus Vancouver. Bennett also entered the team in the annual Penticton May long weekend tournament May 22-24.
League play started this weekend with Victoria beating visiting Chilliwack 4-1.
Bennett believes the future is bright for the Pinnacles as the SOYSA program continues to grow and provide the club with a new influx of homegrown talent on a regular basis.
“It has improved, but there is still a long way to go,” said Bennett, 58. “We‘re working hard with our succession planning, but there is still a huge gap between youth and the (men‘s) level … pretty much from Grade 10 to first-year university.
“When I came here four or five years ago, there was no 1992-born district team. That‘s a whole generation of kids and it takes time to catch up, but we‘re moving in the right direction and we will get there.”
The Pinnacles are currently training Tuesday and Thursday nights at King‘s Park.
Meanwhile, the Pinnacles entry in the PCSL Reserve Women‘s Division starts its season with road games May 15-16 against Richmond and North Shore Stars. Ray Hintz will be back as coach for the local squad this season.
