TUKWILA — The Peninsula College men and women outscored their opponents 14-2 and won all four matches at the 48-team Northwest Athletic Conference Friendlies soccer tournament at Starfire Sports Complex.
Even better, the Pirates’ dominant start to the season came against some of the strongest teams in the conference.
“This was a great result against four good opponents,” head men’s and women’s coach Kanyon Anderson said. “The teams are happy and enjoying the start of their season.”
Men’s Game
Peninsula 4, Spokane 1
The Pirates opened the 2014 campaign with a tremendous offensive showing.
Following Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Chemeketa, the Peninsula men went right to work against the Sasquatch, the 2013 East Division runner-ups.
Victor Sanchez scored just six minutes into the match on an assist from Chris Chertude, and just 11 minutes later it was Chertude with the goal, assisted by Eddie Benito for a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates added goals by Kassio Monteiro and Sam McEntire to put the match out of reach.
Defender-turned-goalkeeper Julio Soto got the win, recording five saves in his second game in goal.
“The men used a productive first half to get the win,” Anderson said. “Spokane kept the pressure on throughout the game to keep our defense busy.”
Women’s Game
Peninsula 1, Spokane 0
The Pirates were coming off a surprising 4-0 win over defending South Division champion Clackamas on Tuesday when they took the field against Spokane, a team that placed second in the East last year.
It was Spokane’s third straight match. The Sasquatch defeated Shoreline 3-1 on Monday, and then shut out Southwest Oregon 4-0 on Tuesday before facing the Pirates on Wednesday.
“It was a tough match-up against one of the top NWAC teams,” Anderson said. “Again, it was a strong team effort.”
The only score of the match came in the 40th minute when Port Angeles High School graduate Paxton Rodocker’s shot was saved and freshman Rececca Tafte was there to boot home the rebound.
The Pirate defense rose to the occasion to keep the Sasquatch off the scoreboard.
Sophomore Emily Flinn earned Peninsula’s second straight shutout, but she had to work at it with two heart-stopping saves.
The Peninsula teams will return to the practice pitch for a week, while the women travel to Green River for a conference match on Tuesday.
Both teams then take the road on Friday, Sept. 5, for a pair of non-conference matches at Whatcom.
