PORT ANGELES — The reigning-champion Peninsula College women’s soccer team and Mother Nature both rained down on Lower Columbia on Saturday at Wally Sigmar Field
The Pirates put the finishing touches on their third straight NWAACC West Division title by beating the scrappy Red Devils 13-0 to finish 16-0 in division play.
In a hard-driving rainstorm and strong west winds, 15 Peninsula sophomores played their final regular-season match at Sigmar Field.
Those sophomores included Bri Afoa, Annie Armstrong, Hailey Berg, Kayla Dosh, Briana Estrellado, Bronte Fitzsimmons, Gabriela Gonzalez, Misty Kaiwi, Laura Morgan, Randi Moutka, Dominique Niedziela, Kelsie Ng, Alexandra Rojas-Ayala, Miranda Sochacki and Shelbi Vienna-Hallam.
Head coach Kanyon Anderson could only start 11 of them, but he was able to play his entire roster against the shorthanded Red Devils.
It was only appropriate that Peninsula’s all-time scoring leader Afoa tallied the first goal, which came just two minutes into the game off an assist by the NWAACC’s assist-leader, Fitzsimmons.
The floodgates were officially open thereafter, as Afoa scored twice more for a hat trick; Fitzsimmons, Kayla Dosh and Alyssa Bertuleit scored twice each; and Armstrong, Ng and Mary Pierce also got in on the scoring action with one goal apiece.
Afoa’s three goals give her 22 on the season, which puts her one off the NWAACC lead.
Fitzsimmons produced three assists, Afoa had two and Berg, Gonzalez, Ng, Pierce, Katelyn Raatz and Larkyn Nelson also contributed assists.
Morgan recorded her third shutout in her third start as keeper, and she may have been the coldest player on the field, as her action was very limited. She finished the match with only one save.
Since the Red Devils, devastated by injuries and illness, started and played only nine players, Anderson pulled two of his players off the field in the second half to play the remainder of the match nine-on-nine.
The Pirates (16-0, 17-2) will now spend the week preparing for Saturday’s NWAACC quarterfinal playoff against the winner of a Wednesday first-round match, most likely between Whatcom and Clark.
Saturday’s game will begin at 11 a.m. at Wally Sigmar Field.
The Peninsula men’s team (12-0-1, 18-0-2) was idle Saturday. It also will be at home for a quarterfinal playoff Saturday at 1:15 p.m. against the winner of a match between either Edmonds or Skagit Valley from the North Division and Pierce from the South.
