BELLINGHAM — Kings of the North Region once again, the Peninsula College men’s soccer team earned its third straight region crown in a hard-fought 0-0 draw at No. 2-ranked Whatcom on Wednesday.
The Pirate men earned a first-round NWAC Tournament bye and will host a quarterfinal match at Wally Sigmar Field on Nov. 6 between the winner of a first-round contest between the West No. 3 and the South No. 2.
Wednesday’s contest was between Peninsula and Whatcom, rivals that have finished first and second in the region every season since 2017.
Fittingly, the match saw 11 overall yellow cards, six for Peninsula and five for Whatcom, and 41 fouls, 28 for the Pirates and 13 for the Orcas.
Pirates goalkeeper Alejandro Lopez stopped three Whatcom shots to earn the shutout.
“It was definitely a playoff-caliber game, so for playoff preparation, it was great,” Pirates coach Jake Hughes said.
“We wanted to continue what we have been doing but tighten some things up, things like not over complicating things at the back and working hard at the front defensively, and when the chances arise to score, make them. We were guilty of not doing that. We had a penalty that hit the post and a free kick that hit the crossbar.”
Hughes congratulated his squad for winning the region title.
“They’ve worked so hard for it,” he said. “The crowning jewel is the NWAC championship, but the hardest thing is the league title. You have to play at a high level for 14 or 15 games, two games a week, for several weeks. Any team can win the NWAC title — it’s a series of one-off games. So, in my opinion, the league is a bigger achievement and it shows we sustained the marathon and were able to rotate and play a number of players along the way.
“Now our focus is Sophomore Day (at home against Everett at 2 p.m.) and finishing out the regular season on a positive note.”
PC women win
The Pirate women, who already clinched as North Region champs for the 10th straight season, shut out Whatcom 3-0 to seal an unbeaten regular season.
Addie Becker put Peninsula on the board with an unassisted score in the 14th minute.
Malia Miller added two unassisted goals late in the second half to seal the win.
Musuai Isaia earned her ninth clean sheet of the season in goal, stopping four Orcas shots.
Peninsula (9-0-1, 14-0-1) is off until it hosts an NWAC Tournament quarterfinal at Wally Sigmar Field on Nov. 6 against the winner of a first-round match between the West No. 3 and the South No. 2.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
