PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College men’s and women’s soccer teams dominated the postseason honors much like they did the NWAACC West Division this season.
Briana Afoa and Daniel Gonzalez were each named West Division Player of the Year, and 11 other Pirates were awarded West Division All-Stars.
Adding to the honors, women’s coach Kaynon Anderson and men’s coach Andrew Chapman were both named West Division Coach of the Year.
Afoa, a freshman from Hawaii, broke Peninsula’s single-season scoring record — she has 21 goals heading into this weekend’s NWAACC Final Four — and currently ranks second in the conference in scoring.
Afoa is the second straight women’s Pirates player to win the West Division MVP, following Jackie Rodgers who won the award in 2011.
Also earning recognition as West Division All-Stars from the women’s team are Jordan Dinneen, a sophomore midfielder from Anchorage, Alaska; Deidra Woodward, a sophomore midfielder from Olympia; Kendra Miner, a sophomore midfielder from Wasilla, Alaska; and Aubrey Briscoe, a sophomore defender from Juneau, Alaska.
Gonzalez, a sophomore out of Yelm, also ranks among the conference leaders in goals and assists.
He follows Steve Prevost (2009) and his older brother Miguel Gonzalez (2010, 2011) as the fourth straight Pirate to win the men’s MVP award.
Other West Division All-Stars for the men are: Alex Martinez, a freshman forward from Reno, Nevada; Henrique Noujeimi, a freshman forward from Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Irvin Somera, a freshman midfielder from Reno; Erick Urzua, a freshman midfielder from Portland; Aaron Jeffery, a sophomore defender from Safety Bay, Australia; Morgan Lemus, a sophomore defender from Reno; and Guilherme Avelar, a sophomore goalkeeper from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Anderson repeats as West Division Coach of the Year in just his third year as the Peninsula College women’s head coach.
Chapman, in his 10th year at the helm of the men’s program, shares the award this year with Tacoma’s Jason Gjertsen. It is the fourth time Chapman has been named coach of the year.
“Their record speaks for itself, but coach Anderson and coach Chapman have done an excellent job building their respective programs and are very deserving of this honor,” Peninsula College athletic director Rick Ross said.
“And while we have 13 players earning West All-Star recognition, which is amazing and very deserving, we really have about 65 players and eight coaches who are ultimately responsible for our success.
“We’re the only college with both teams in the Final Four this year and these two teams have as good a chance as anyone of winning it all.”
The men’s and women’s teams will play in the NWAACC Final Four on Saturday and Sunday at the Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila.
The Pirate women (21-1-0) will take on Everett (12-4-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday, while the men (20-1-1) take on Edmonds (11-7-3) at 6 p.m.
For the teams that survive those games, the championship matches are scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. for the women and 5:30 p.m. for the men.
Pirates fans will gather to send off the two teams at 9 a.m. Friday at the center of campus.
