PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College men’s soccer team can’t look ahead.
Although, it sure is tempting.
The Pirates (11-4-5 overall) begin their quest for a third straight NWAACC Final Four with a first-round home playoff game against the Edmonds Tritons (4-7-4) today at 2 p.m.
Peninsula beat Edmonds 3-1 earlier this season and would seem to be heavy favorites as the West Division co-champions facing the North’s third seed.
So given the matchup that possibly lies ahead — a second-round showdown at top-ranked Chemeketa (17-0-2) on Saturday — it would be easy for the Pirates to overlook Edmonds.
Pirates head coach Andrew Chapman certainly knows it.
“Its tough not to get them to overlook [today’s game] . . . especially if you’ve already beaten the team,” said Chapman, whose team has won division titles two of the last three years.
“[The win] was very early in the season, so a lot of things have changed for everybody. [The Tritons] are going to be a little bit different and we’re going to be a little bit different.
“You just have to focus in on what you have to do.”
So far, not so good.
The Pirates will be down two starters, both of whom Chapman declined to name, for today’s must-win game.
The players missed practice earlier this week, forcing Chapman to sit them for violating team rules.
Peninsula does have the depth to deal with such a setback.
The Pirates have six players accounting for five or more goals this fall, including midfielder John Troka (6 goals, 6 assists) and forward Steve Williams (6 goals, 4 assists).
They also have a pair of play-making defenders in the back in Steve Prevost (1 goal, 4 assists) and Aaron Oppeltz (7 assists).
So talent shouldn’t be a problem for the Pirates.
Complacency against an out-gunned Edmonds team, which scored 30 goals in 15 matches, could be another story altogether.
The muddy pitch at Wally Sigmar Athletic Complex field isn’t doing them any favors either.
“They like to run,” Chapman said of the Tritons. “They have some guys up top that just work hard and run a lot, and guys in back that worry about getting the ball and trying to get it to them.”
Peninsula scored two early goals and cruised to a win the first time the two teams faced on Sept. 16.
The victory began an impressive stretch for the Pirates as they went 9-1-4 to close out the season and clinch a share of the West Division crown with Bellevue.
Yet the Pirates didn’t get the West’s top playoff seed due to a tiebreaker numbering system that favored the Bulldogs (the two teams tied 1-1 twice).
So they not only lost out on a first-round playoff bye, but they must now go through Chemeketa to return to the Final Four.
“I wish there were some more tie-breakers that were set up,” Chapman said. “It would have been nice to have something else in there that you might have a little more control over.
“But that’s the way it is, and there’s nothing we can do to change it.
“We’re just going to do it the hard way. Chemeketa is a good, solid, strong team, you’ve got to beat them to win it anyway.
“It will be a tough match, and it will depend upon how bad these guys want it.”
