Pacheco’s rock, Rivera, earns Boys Soccer Player of the Year

Few took Pacheco’s 2015 first-round playoff exit harder than Rodolfo Rivera.

The then sophomore had made steady progress throughout the season and was becoming a regular contributor on an emerging Panther attack as it headed towards the first playoff appearance in program history.

It was there that Rivera found himself over matched for the first time since he’d stepped on the varsity pitch as a freshman. Caught up in the magnitude of the moment, Rivera struggled. The rest of the team followed suit and the Panthers fell in a penalty kick loss.

“For me, that playoff game was a disaster,” Rivera said. “It was a whole new experience and I just choked. I missed a wide open goal that would have put it away for us and felt horrible. I went into the offseason with a lot of anger against myself.

“I felt like I hadn’t done enough to prepare for that moment. I never wanted to feel that again. I used it as motivation every time I felt like slacking off in my training.”

Rivera had no idea just how much his reinforced mental fortitude would be tested this season. The area’s most talented team was decimated by injuries in the middle of Western Athletic Conference play and in danger of having a dream season turn nightmare. Rivera answered the call, assuming the team’s play-making role, where he thrived. The junior poured in 24 goals and seven assists to help lead Pacheco to its first league and Sac-Joaquin Section titles in school history. He is the Sun-Star Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“I didn’t expect this season, especially taking over Brian (Nevarez’s) role,” Rivera said. “It was hard at first, because it wasn’t my normal position and because it’s very defensive role. I knew my job as a winger, but all of a sudden I had to cover all the gaps in the middle.

“I think the breakthrough came the second time against Central Valley. Their midfielders can move the ball and they had me running around crazy in the first half. I was a lot smarter with how I defended in the second half, and all of a sudden things started opening up for us.”

Rivera scored twice in that contest as the Panthers pulled out a 3-2 win. It sparked a run of taking 22 out of 24 possible points in their last eight games to overtake Livingston and win the WAC crown.

As good as Rivera was on the pitch, his positivity and leadership were every bit as important during the run. A team that skillfully dissected some of the area’s top squads during its nonconference campaign, suddenly was forced to change styles and grind out results like a 1-0 win over last-place Los Banos and salvaging a last-minute draw with Patterson.

“It was very frustrating, knowing how we were capable of playing and just not being able to do it,” Rivera said. “That Patterson game was really tough. It was raining and I was sick. I almost threw up on the field. Even with so many guys out, we had way more chances than them and just couldn’t finish.

“Even when we tied it late, it was hard to feel good about it. As I captain, I just did my best to keep things positive and keep everyone’s spirits up. I knew we had the potential to make history and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.”

As trying as that three-week stretch was for the Panthers, it might have been the best thing that could have happened to them.

Pacheco’s depth and toughness was tested like few other teams and Wes Wing’s squad rose to the occasion. It left the Panthers poised for a playoff run. They closed the season with seven consecutive victories, outscoring opponents 26-4 en route to a penalty kick victory over Sierra on Manteca in the Division IV title game.

“I believe that hard things come in the best packages,” Rivera said. “I didn’t expect this season to be so tough. I thought we were going to smack teams around like we did to start the year. It was humbling, but it made it a really great experience.

“We got a lot of support from our school and our teachers who were excited we were making history. I feel like it was a big part of our success, because we’d never had a lot of support from the school before. It was special to be a part of.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Pacheco’s rock, Rivera, earns Boys Soccer Player of the Year."