PirateQ 
What a year it has been for the Pirate soccer team. Undefeated in conference play, they emerged as Region 8 Division 2 Champions and South Atlantic District Champions. They were one of twelve teams to make it to the national tournament, finishing the year ranked No. 10 in the country.
The Pirates placed seven players on the Region 8 All-Region team, including Player of the Year Amelia Johnson. Coach Mark Yepishin received both the Region 8 Division 2 Coach of the Year and the South Atlantic District Coach of the Year awards.
The Pensacola State College (PSC) Women’s Soccer team made history Monday, Nov. 18 with their first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Championship Tournament. Under the leadership of Head Coach Mark Yepishin, the Pirates continued to break new ground in just their second season as a program.
After clinching the conference title in their inaugural season, the Pirates not only repeated the feat this year but also secured the South Atlantic Division Title. Their remarkable journey led to a historic first game on Monday in Huntsville, where the No. 10 seeded Pirates faced off against No. 6 seeded Pima Community College.
The Pirates started strong, dominating the first half and holding Pima scoreless while securing a 1-0 lead. Their momentum carried into the second half with an early goal, putting them up 2-0. However, the Aztecs proved resilient, mounting a fierce comeback. The game saw intense back-and-forth action, with both teams tying the score twice. In the final moments, Pima edged ahead with a decisive goal, handing the Pirates a hard-fought 4-3 loss. Despite the defeat, the Pirates displayed grit and determination in a physical and challenging match.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, PSC faced an even tougher test as they continued their national journey by taking on the No. 3 seed, Heartland Community College, hoping to keep their historic run alive. Heartland came out with a day of rest in between games and were ready to fight. The Pirates were caught off guard with an early goal and tried to fight back to get into the game. Coach Yepishin said, “We were unable to keep up with the high pressure of Heartland and were a bit overwhelmed at times. Second half, we were able to get more momentum going forward, but it was a bit too late, and our dream season came to an end.”
The season ended for the Pirates with 11 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties, scoring 49 goals over those matches. With such a great season coming to a close, the bar has been set very high for the Pirates. Coach Mark Yepishin said, “We came into the season wanting to win games and make it to the national tournament. We knew what we had to do and, one game at a time, achieved that goal. Now we are hungry for more! Super proud of the entire team and all that we have achieved this year. Every player put in the work, and we saw the results.”