TUKWILA — A Peninsula College women’s soccer season that started with two wins at Starfire Sports Complex has the potential to end there with two more victories — and the team hoisting its third straight NWAC title.
The NWAC’s top-ranked, two-time defending champion Pirates face the South Region champion Lane Titans in Saturday’s 1 p.m. semifinal.
Peninsula was recently ranked No. 4 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I Junior Soccer Poll, its highest national ranking in the five-year history of the program.
A win Saturday will push Peninsula into a championship match with Spokane or Everett at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Pirates must first find a way to tame the fifth-ranked Titans (15-2-2) and high-scoring South-East Region MVP Taylor Boyer.
“Lane is a solid team from top to bottom,” Anderson said.
“They don’t give up many goals and they don’t seem to have any glaring weaknesses. They started a bit slowly on the season, but have gone 15-1-0 in their last 16 [games] with 11 shutouts.”
Boyer has 17 goals this season for Lane, located across town from her former school, the University of Oregon.
“She started 12 games for the University of Oregon as a freshman in the PAC-12 Conference,” Anderson said.
“She then transferred and is the NWAC’s fifth- leading scorer and a fast, technical player.
“We have to figure out how to handle maybe the best player in the NWAC.”
Preparing for a player of Boyer’s caliber is a little bit like a basketball team preparing to face a superstar post player, according to Anderson.
“You have to have two elements: limit their opportunities and limit the time they get the ball,” Anderson said.
“We will have to make it harder for to receive the ball and make her get the ball in a place she’s not used to, a little further away from goal.
“And when she does get it, we have to cover smartly and make sure their other options are marked.
“She can hurt you if you lose sight of her for a second. We will have to play an intelligent, focused game to win.”
In addition to Boyer, the NWAC’s fifth-leading scorer with 17 goals, the Titans are led by Karlee Wilcox with eight goals and Anna Goodrie and Serena Boehm with four each. Boyer and Goodrie lead in assists with seven each and keeper Erica Cogburn has the second most shutouts in the NWAC with 11.
For the Pirates, sophomore defender Kamryn Barney is the cornerstone of a defense that has yielded an NWAC-low two goals this year.
She is backed up with help from classmates Brooke Yoshimura, Tori Hagen and Katelyn Raatz and freshman Kendall Howell.
Peninsula also boasts what is likely the best group of goalkeepers in the conference, led by North-West Region All-Stars Emily Flinn, who has yet to be scored on this season and has six shutouts, and sophomore Kasie Lough, who ranks fifth in the NWAC in shutouts with seven.
Offensively, Peninsula will stick to what’s worked for it this season, a concerted defensive effort that will lead to scoring opportunities through the midfield, set pieces and on counter-attacks.
“I don’t think we will try and change too much about who we are,” Anderson said.
“In terms of attack we will get some chances. We are good enough to create some chances and we need to be sharp and put them away when they are available.”
The Pirate offense is led by freshman C.J. Stetser with 10 goals, freshman Lexi Krieger with nine, freshman Tasha Inong and freshman Paige Mahuka and sophomore Mary Pierce, each with seven.
Midfielder Alyssa Bertuleit leads the team in assists with 10, Paxton Rodocker has eight and Brittney Yoshimura has seven. All three are sophomores.
A send-off event for the team is set this morning with the team boarding its bus, The Black Pearl, outside the Peninsula College gymnasium at 8 a.m.
Peninsula will practice at Starfire at noon and attend the tournament banquet tonight.
Admission to Starfire for each day is $14, plus a $5 parking pass.
A two-day pass is $22.
Saturday’s four semifinal matches, Sunday’s two All-Star matches, and Sunday’s two championship matches will be streamed online at tinyurl.com/PDN-VideoStream.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
