PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College soccer fans will get their first look at the 2021 fall Pirates this weekend — and what they’ll see are two Northwest Athletic Conference title contenders.
The Pirate men host Wenatchee Valley at 4 p.m. Sunday, and the Pirate women kick off the weekend with a “Meet the Fans” Black & Gold scrimmage at 7 p.m. Friday.
The men’s side won the NWAC championship in 2019, their fifth in 11 years, and then posted the best North Division spring season record just a few months ago after the 2020 fall season was pushed back and the postseason was canceled.
They are 2-0 following wins over Lane and Spokane at the NWAC Friendlies last week and will make their home debut Sunday at 4 p.m. against Wenatchee Valley, which went 0-1-2 at the Friendlies with ties against Bellevue and South Puget Sound and a loss to Everett.
“This PC men’s team is fast, explosive and plays an exciting brand of soccer,” said Rick Ross, associate dean for athletics and student life and also the NWAC soccer chair. “If you haven’t seen college soccer in a while, come on up Sunday afternoon, check us out and meet our players. They’ve been working very hard and are anxious to show off the fruit of their labor in front of the home fans.”
The Pirate men, who are coached by Jake Hughes and assisted by Juan Carlos Cisneros, truly play the world’s game, with players representing six states and four countries, including Japan, South Korea, Germany and Scotland.
Admission for Sunday’s match is $4 for adults, $2 for veterans, seniors, alumni and youth 13-17 and free to PC students and staff, as well as and children 12 and younger.
Pirate women
The Peninsula women opened their 2021 fall campaign in an 11-0 rout over a pretty solid South Division opponent, Chemeketa, at the NWAC Friendlies last week in a match that saw all 34 Pirates get playing time. They then ran into a defensive-minded Columbia Basin team and battled to a scoreless tie.
The Pirates play their first three North Division matches on the road, starting Sept. 11 at Skagit Valley, and won’t be home again until Sept. 22 against Edmonds.
Friday’s “Meet the Fans” Black & Gold scrimmage is an opportunity for the Pirates to simulate a home match against a pretty strong opponent, their teammates. Coach Kanyon Anderson and assistant Andrew Cooper have assembled one of the strongest lineups in PC women’s soccer history, with 35 quality players from all over the world, including seven states and three countries, Canada, Japan and a player who joined them after the Friendlies from Sweden.
“We are excited to showcase our team to the community,” Anderson said. “This scrimmage is a great way to do so. It will be a competitive, fast and fun event.”
Admission will be free.
