PORT ANGELES — Trips to the Northwest Athletic Conference soccer semifinals are becoming routine for the Peninsula College women’s team.
Another visit, the program’s fourth in a row and fourth in its five years of existence, was booked after a 1-0 triumph over a game Treasure Valley on Sunday at Wally Sigmar Field.
The Pirates scored in the 73rd minute after Lexi Krieger bent her free kick into the box and onto the foot of Kai Mahuka.
Mahuka didn’t get much on the ball but enough for it to trickle past Chukars goalkeeper Tessa Pitzer and across the goal line.
Now one game, a semifinal matchup with South Division champion Lane (15-2-2), stands between the Pirates and a shot at a third-consecutive NWAC championship.
Top-ranked Peninsula battled the sixth-ranked Chukars to a scoreless draw after one half.
The Pirates had more chances early on, earning four corner kicks in the first half and putting together a few other scoring opportunities, only to see shots sail high and wide or handled by Pitzer.
Treasure Valley seemed determined to keep the Pirates offense well away from its goal, packing the middle of the field with players in an effort to impede Peninsula’s passing lanes.
“They crowded the midfield and ran a 3-6-1 formation,” Pirates coach Kanyon Anderson said.
“Their strategy appeared to be to clog up the midfield. We talked at half about not trying to play through midfield as much and playing the ball out wide into the final third [of the field].”
The Chukars’ best chance of the first half came in the 36th minute after a foul at the top of the box earned a free kick that grazed the top of the post before sliding over.
Peninsula had more possession in the second half, controlling the ball on either wing and working it upfield, but Treasure Valley had the better of the first 20 minutes, producing two scary moments for the Pirates.
The first came when Treasure Valley’s Brooke Thomas sent a right-to-left shot that hit the inside of the left post before Peninsula cleared the ball out of the box in the 56th minute.
Minutes later, Alex Rivera’s shot hit the top of the Pirates goal and an on-rushing Merhaweet Sahlezghi booted the rebound into the net for an apparent 1-0 Chukars lead.
But the goal came off the board when Sahlezghi was whistled for an offside violation.
Peninsula capitalized 11 minutes later.
A hustle play to run down the ball by Pirates midfielder Taylor Berg earned a foul and Krieger’s free kick.
“I was trying to go upper right post with the kick,” Krieger said.
The ball didn’t go that high, but did find Mahuka amid a packed penalty box.
“I think we got everybody across in front of the keeper and got a touch on it,” Anderson said.
Mahuka agreed.
“When the ball came in I was able to shield the goalie a little bit and just get a foot on it,” Mahuka said.
Each team changed strategies after the goal
Peninsula put Tasha Inong at the top of its attack and brought on midfielders in Paxton Rodocker, Kayla Bell and Larkyn Nelson, while Treasure Valley moved players up the field in an attempt to push for the equalizer.
“Those players are very tactically minded, understood what we needed to do and did well,” Anderson said.
The Pirates managed the pressure of the situation, keeping control of the ball inside the Chukars’ half of the field for much of the remaining time, but an extra-time challenge by Rodocker was deemed too rash and gave Treasure Valley one last chance on a set piece.
Alayna Campbell took the free kick 40 yards from the goal in the center of the field, and sent a well-struck kick straight to the upper-right post and into the arms of Pirates goalie Emily Flinn, who rose and collected the shot without issue.
“I expect Emily to make that save 10 times out of 10, and I think Emily does, too,” Anderson said.
“It was a great save, [and she’s] just a phenomenal goalkeeper.”
Flinn had to direct some traffic before the shot.
“We were having some trouble getting in the right spot to set the wall on the kick,” Flinn said.
“So I was telling people where I wanted them to be. Then she kicked it to the upper-right post and I went up and was able to catch it.”
A minute later the referees blew the whistle and the Peninsula bench emptied for a spirited on-field celebration.
Flinn said the shot was struck on a straight line and the afternoon’s windy conditions had little impact on the flight of the ball.
Flinn recorded her sixth shutout of the season and has yet to allow a goal this year.
The Pirates will face Lane at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The winner of that game will meet either Spokane or Everett in the NWAC Championship game Sunday at 3 p.m.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsualdailynews.com.
