PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College allowed two Everett goals in quick succession in the second half and the Pirates suffered a rare regular season defeat in their NWAC North Division home opener Wednesday, a 3-2 loss to the Trojans.
Everett played with pace from the opening kick, controlling much of the possession early before a rare goalkeeper-to-striker scoring connection put the Trojans up 1-0 in only the 2nd minute of the match.
Everett goalkeeper Avary Olson allowed a Peninsula loose ball to bounce into the goal box before he collected the ball, reset and dribbled a little bit upfield and unleashed a booming ball right down the center of the field.
Trojans forward Emmanuel Nyaga ran on to the ball as it bounced between two Pirate defenders and poked it up and over arms of the on-rushing Peninsula goalkeeper Laurin Lettow.
The Pirates answered back with a double rebound goal in the 12th minute.
Nil Grau headed a ball upfield to Abdurahim Leigh that Leigh charged onto, unleashing a strong kick from the top of the box that Olson managed to get a hand on.
The ensuing rebound trickled out to Grau who uncorked a straight-on shot again saved by Olson. But Olson couldn’t contain the ball and Leigh was on the spot to tap the ball in goal for a 1-1 tie.
Peninsula went up 2-1 in the 51st minute after another rebound score.
Leigh received a ball up from Matthew Enriquez in midfield in the center of the field, sending a deft pass left to Grau who dribbled in toward goal and let loose a low shot that hit the near post, deflecting to the right side of goal.
Enriquez had followed the play forward and was there to gather the rebound and shoot a line drive to the right of goal for a 2-1 Peninsula.
Everett tied the game up in the 64th minute, when Muhammed Darboe made a nifty right-to-left dribble that got him past a slide tackling Rei Sato and open for a shot past Lettow.
Darboe got the eventual game-winning goal off a Luis Carillos assist for Everett in the 68th minute when the Pirates were late to get back defensively.
Lettow had four saves in goal while Olson had six in the victory.
Peninsula (0-1-0, 3-2-0) visits rival Whatcom on Saturday.
