College players boost Steelheads, now vets will be called on to finish strong

SMOKEY POINT, WA— The Snohomish County FC Steelheads are defending Western Washington Premier League (WWPL) Champions. A handful of college players have supplied a boost to the hopes of repeating in 2021. As they return to school the Fish will call on veteran players to chase down table-toppers Wenatchee All-Stars FC.

Jamie O’Connell (center) is among the college players set to return to their schools even as the SnoCo FC season marches on.

4 Straight Wins

The arrival of guys home from college coincided with the Steelheads 2021 league season getting on track. Since then the Fish have outscored their opponents 10-1 and reeled off 4 straight league wins. The increased depth and infusion of young talent helped put a 5-3 loss at home to Wenatchee, with a mostly makeshift SnoCo FC roster, in the rearview mirror.

Kojo Dadzie leads the Fish with 6 goals. He heads back to Brown University now.

Back To School

Now the guys are looking ahead to returning to college. Kojo Dadzie (leading scorer with 6 goals) is done for the season as he rests up for a return to Brown University. Jacen Stein (3 goals) and Cade Cooke (long throw-ins, 2 assists) will return to GNAC training in August with Western Washington and Seattle Pacific. Jamie O’Connell returns to George Fox. Luke Brezak (goalkeeper) has two years of eligibility left at RPI.

Jacen Stein (center) returns to Western Washington after scoring 3 goals for the Fish.

‘A Good Group Of Boys’ Remain

“Cade, Kojo, Jacen, Luke, and Jamie are all outstanding athletes and I hope to see some of them on TV one day,” says Head Coach Dagi Kesim. “I have full faith in them. They add class and enthusiasm to the Fish. Although they have top potential, they are humble kids that are willing to learn from crazy Dagi.”

“What do we do after they leave? We have quality players who already know the system as well as top Gala FC performers to help us,” says Kesim. “We will play our organized soccer. We have a good group of boys that follows and respects their coaches and the program.”

Cade Cooke’s long throw-ins equal goals for the Fish. He’s headed back to Seattle Pacific.

Showdowns In August

The WWPL First Division is currently taking a July break. When play resumes in August it will come roaring back with a flood of late summer matches. The Steelheads still have 6 league games to play. (Two need to be rescheduled: Home to Grays Harbor, and away at Harbor Force.) Wenatchee All-Stars have an interesting string of 5 home matches in August, ending with hosting SnoCo FC on the 28th.

Luke Brezak can make more college saves as he has 2 years of eligibility left.

Before They Go

Although the college guys won’t see anymore league action for the Steelheads, they could compete with the Fish in a friendly or two. General Manager Dorian Lair is working on setting up a couple of matches for the gang to stay together for a bit longer. Stay tuned to see if the guys get a another chance to put on the scales of SnoCo FC in July.