PORT ANGELES — Today’s “Sophomore Day” soccer matches against Whatcom at Sigmar Field will have more meaning for the Peninsula College women’s team than it will for the men.
The college will salute its sophomore players in matches starting at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The Pirate women (12-1-0, 17-1-0) lead second-place Everett (11-2-0, 13-3-1) by just three points with two matches left.
Peninsula needs just one win to clinch the title outright and earn the No. 1 berth into the playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Trojans.
In previous matches, the Pirates defeated the Orcas 1-0 on Sept. 23 and then 6-0 on Oct. 10.
The men’s “Sophomore Day” game will have less significance since the Peninsula men have already clinched the conference championship.
The Pirate men were in a position to sew up the title with a win at home today, but Everett’s 1-1 tie with Whatcom on Saturday expedited Peninsula’s seventh straight division title and eighth overall.
It was the first conference championship for first-year head coach Cale Rodriguez and also the first in the North, where the Pirates moved this year after 15 years in the West Division.
The men, ranked third in the Alaska Airlines NWAC Coaches Poll, are 10-1-2 in the North and 12-2-3 overall, 12 points ahead of Whatcom (7-2-4, 8-3-4) with only two matches remaining.
While there are still games to be played, Peninsula supporters can pencil in their calendars for a pair of home quarterfinal playoffs at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7.
