PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women remained the only unbeaten and unscored-upon soccer team in the Northwest Athletic Conference with a 4-0 victory over Shoreline at Wally Sigmar Field.
The Peninsula men also remained unbeaten with a tense 3-1 win over the Dolphins before a large sun-drenched crowd on “Soccer Community Day” on Saturday.
The Pirate women, ranked eighth in the nation, improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, while the men, ranked No. 12 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America junior college poll, pushed their record to 5-0 and 3-0.
Women’s Game
Peninsula 4, Shoreline 0
The Pirates were ready for a battle when they took to the field against Shoreline, a team that was unbeaten in conference play prior to Saturday, and a team that had racked up 26 goals.
Peninsula, which has yet to give up a goal, had scored 15 in its first five outings.
The teams played to a scoreless tie until the 30th minute.
Peninsula’s first goal came on a blast from 24 yards out by freshman Taylor Berg, a Central Kitsap High School graduate who last year led the Olympic League in scoring.
Berg’s shot came in high and left Dolphins goalkeeper Melissa Schuetze without much of a chance to make a save.
The goal was assisted by Michele Whan of Reno, NV.
That 1-0 score stood through halftime, but the Pirates put the game away in the second half.
Sophomore Katelyn Raatz also smashed one from long range and her strike found the net high in the far corner, assisted by Port Angeles graduate Paxton Rodocker at the 52-minute mark.
Peninsula then added insurance goals in the final 10 minutes from Tasha Inong, assisted by Kayla Bell, and from Paige Mahuka, with Rodocker registering another assist.
Kasie Lough had eight saves to earn her NWAC-leading fourth shutout of the season.
The Pirates see their next action at Everett on Wednesday.
The Trojans have put together a 6-1 overall record and a North Division-leading 4-1 start, scoring 33 goals and give up just three.
Peninsula trails Highline (6-0-1, 4-0-1) in the West Division by one point, but the Thunderbirds have played one more game than have the Pirates.
Men’s Game
Peninsula 3, Shoreline 1
On paper, the men’s game was to be a rout.
It matched the defending NWAC champion and unbeaten Pirates against the North Division’s last-place Dolphins.
But Saturday’s match reinforced why games aren’t played on paper.
The Dolphins battled beyond their means, while the Pirates were not at their best — and the result was a match that was decided in the final 10 minutes.
Peninsula scored first when Kassio Monteiro, of San Paulo, Brazil, lobbed the ball up-field into the box where country-mate Caio Maciel, of Salvador, Brazil, outran a charging keeper, chipping the ball over Shoreline goalkeeper Harper Strange and into an empty net just 11 minutes into the match, to the delight of the big home crowd.
Rather than become a Peninsula Pirates goal-scoring exhibition, though, the two teams duked it out in a physical, yellow-card ridden match.
There were 22 fouls called on the Pirates and nine on the Dolphins. Peninsula also five yellow cards, while Shoreline was issued two.
Shoreline’s Amir Roushenas scored on a breakaway just before the half to even the score at 1-1.
The tie remained until the 80th minute when the center official called a foul in the box and Maciel made good on the penalty kick for a 2-1 Pirate lead.
The Pirates then added an insurance goal when Monteiro scored off an assist from Trevan Estrellado with a minute remaining to put it out of reach.
Peninsula goalkeeper Nick Johnson earned his second win, finishing with five saves.
Next up for the Pirates is a trip to Everett on Wednesday to face the 1-2-2 Trojans.
