WENATCHEE, WA— Wenatchee FC of the Evergreen Premier League will play their final league match of the 2015 season on Sunday July 26 at 6 PM in Chelan at Sargent Field. This will be Wenatchee’s first-ever match played in the city by the lake. Known as “The Capitals,” Wenatchee FC will be hosting South Sound FC, a perennial power in the soccer league. WFC home fields at both the Apple Bowl and Wenatchee Valley Community College’s Mike Hollis Field were unavailable to host the match, so the Capitals decided to come up to the lake.

“We are very excited to bring an Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA) match to Chelan,” says WFC co-owner Javier Reyna. “We have players who call the area home. I am sure that Eleazar Galvan, a star for the Goats during his high school years, will be happy to return and play before family and friends.”

Galvan is currently leading the statewide league in goals scored with eleven. He has been named Offensive Player of the Week in the EPLWA twice this season. Galvan was a leader on the 2013 Chelan High School WIAA State Champions team. Other local players on the Wenatchee roster include Julio Vera (Chelan), Olegario Orozco (Manson) and Edwin Tinoco (Brewster.)

Chelan High School Boys Soccer Head Coach Jamie Richards will also be on the sidelines. He is an assistant coach with Wenatchee FC.

Tickets to the match cost $5 for adults, ages 6-12 are $2. Ages 5 and under are free. Concessions will be sold at the match.

The Evergreen Premier League is a statewide league for elite adult male soccer players. The EPLWA has teams in Bellingham, Bremerton, Spokane, Yakima, Vancouver (WA), Tacoma and Seattle along with Wenatchee.

Visit Wenatchee FC online at www.WenatcheeFC.com and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WenatcheeFC.

The Capitals did not have to look very far to find a qualified assistant coach to join Head Coach Cesar Ceppi’s staff. The club brought in Jamie Richards to add his experience and expertise with the EPLWA Men. Richards is the Head Coach of the successful Chelan High School Boys Soccer program. He’s also an assistant at Wenatchee Valley CC. Further, he has played at the elite adult level in Washington with the Wenatchee Fire (indoors) among others.

“I came on three games ago full time when we played Olympic Force, due to prior commitments as Chelan High School Head Coach,” says Richards.

“Coaching here is an honor—to be with Brazilian native Cesar Ceppi. We together offer a diverse background and experience to pass on to Wenatchee FC as well as express the passion for this beautiful game.”

Richards has already coached some of the players who are with Wenatchee FC’s EPLWA team. Now they are back together again, taking on the best that the state has to offer.

“It is also an honor to continue to coach players that have played for me the last four years in high school,” Jamie says.

“This small community is a soccer-rich place in the state of Washington and to be a part of the exposure these young men will receive is an honor.”

Wenatchee FC 1-0 Vancouver Victory FC

The Capitals got the biggest win in their short history by knocking off Vancouver 1-0 at Mike Hollis Field. The match was scoreless at halftime, but soon after the restart WFC would get the only goal they would need.

Adrian Espinoza settled a ball and wound up for a shot in the 49th minute that gave Wenatchee the lead. It was his second goal of the 2015 season.

“It was a complete team effort and battle for the full 90+ minutes,” Espinoza said after the match. “Could have gone either way with multiple opportunities for both sides. I had the opportunity and put what was the winner away but couldn’t have done it with out my teammates.”

Wenatchee goalkeeper Mauricio Sanchez echoed those statements. “It’s a young and very talented group coming together and fine tuning all areas of our game as the season progresses,” Sanchez said. “We knew the type of opponent we had in front of us and what it would take to get the result. We executed well and played according to plan the entire 90 minutes.”

Both clubs had chances the rest of the way in a tight battle, but the Capitals were able to hold on for the win. Vancouver falls to 7-1-0 on the season (21 points) but still leads the league. Wenatchee improves to 5-4-0 on the year (15 points) but has just five matches left to play. See some great photos from the Wenatchee World here.

Wenatchee FC currently stand third in the Evergreen Premier League after their latest win evened the Capitals record at 4-4-0 with 12 standings points. Wenatchee rallied to beat Bellingham United 3-1 on Sunday night June 7 at Mike Hollis Field in 100+ degree heat.

Bellingham led 1-0 most of the way until WFC got a goal from Eleazar Galvan in the 70th minue to make it 1-1. Then in the late stages Luis Garcia scored the winner. His goal came in the 84th minute. Galvan scored an insurance goal in the 89th to make the final score.

Eleazar Galvan has now scored 10 goals in 8 matches. He’s leading the EPLWA in goals. Galvan also recently became the first player to win two Offensive Player of the Week awards. He was honored for his hat trick in Wenatchee’s 5-1 win over the Olympic Force.

WFC has a big match this Saturday night June 13 at Mike Hollis Field at when the 7-0-0 Vancouver Victory FC invade Wenatchee at 6 PM looking for their 8th straight win. The Victory top the table on 21 points.

Rising above expectations and doing something remarkable gets you noticed. In Bremerton Wenatchee FC creative attacker Eleazar Galvan ran through the Olympic Force defense and scored a hat trick after just 22 minutes of play in a 4-1 Capitals win. His performance was acknowledged with the May 10 Player of the Week honor on offense.

Eleazar Galvan (midfield / forward) was the leading scorer for Wenatchee FC in 2014 with 7 goals. He’s nearly half way to that total right now after a 22-minute stretch in which he scored a hat trick on Mothers Day against the Olympic Force in Bremerton. “My first season in the EPLWA was a great one. I was able to play with people who I grew up with that I consider my brothers. I don’t think I had a favorite moment with this team because every moment was an important one,” Galvan said in a feature article during the offseason. “Playing for Wenatchee FC has definitely helped me become a better player. It has helped me become more physical. Also it has helped me see the game from different perspectives as the coach taught us. Practicing and playing vs. good players has also helped me become a better soccer player.”

Galvan’s hat trick was built on speed in the 3rd, 10th and 22nd minutes. He worked his way around Olympic Force defenders and was able to beat the goalkeeper from the left (once) and right (twice.) To cap off his day he assisted on Wenatchee FC’s stoppage time goal in the second half to cement a 4-1 away win.

The Chelan High School graduate, who played two stong seasons in the NWAC with Skagit Valley, will play for Western Washington University this fall.