Eight Sacramento Republic FC Academy Players Sign Letters Of Intent

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Sacramento Republic FC Academy players signed letters of intent and committed to Division I programs throughout California and Washington.

Goalkeepers Johan Garibay and Jordan Martinez are going to Gonzaga University and UC Irvine. Matteo Sorrentino, defender, will be heading to Saint Mary’s College.

Midfielder Esteban Zepeda committed to San Diego State University, while Oscar Govea signed to the University of San Francisco, Ryan Her has signed to the University of the Pacific, and Mark McEntosh will join Garibay at Gonzaga.

Forward Evan Panganiban who will play at California Baptist University and will be a part of California Baptist’s inaugural class to play in the Western Athletic Conference.

“It’ll be cool because we’ll all be going hard against each other, pushing hard for a win. And then after the games will be saying hello and there they’ll just be bragging rights for the winning side so I think it will be a great experience getting to play each other,” said McEntosh.

Some of the players will be reuniting with Republic FC alumni who have gone on to collegiate soccer programs.

Govea will be joining Class of 2017 alum Seamus McLaughlin, who played for the Dons after the 2016-2017 USSDA season.

Her will be alongside Class of 2017 SRFC Academy alum, defender Diego Villapudua at UOP and Sorrentino will suit up with Gael’s forward Joe Restani, who graduated from the SRFC Academy in 2016.

Making the decision to play collegiately instead of trying to pursue a professional soccer career straight out of the Academy is not one these players take lightly.

They know that beyond gaining experience at a higher level, that choosing to stay in school can mean a clear path to the pros while obtaining a college degree in the process.