Sequim Gazette staff

For 74 minutes, Chemeketa was even with one of the top teams in the nation.

But as they tend to do, Peninsula’s Pirates found a way to win, with Alex Martinez leading the way.

The sophomore striker took a feed from Caio Macial and broke a scoreless tie with 15 minutes remaining, and Peninsula added a pair of insurance goals for a 3-0 win in weather-beaten Salem, Ore., on Sept. 28.

"Chemeketa played us very tough," Peninsula coach Andrew Chapman said. "It was very hard to move the ball around with the wind … but our guys kept fighting and figured out how to win."

Ash Apollon set up Christian Martinez for a score at the 83-minute mark and Alex Martinez added another with two minutes remaining to seal the victory, his conference-leading 19th of the campaign.

Angel Guerra racked up the save in goal, his fourth shutout of the season — tied with two others for tops in the NWAACC.

Toppling Tacoma

The Pirates have an Ash-Alex combination working quite well. NWAACC foes have taken notice.

Apollon had the first two scores for Peninsula and Alex Martinez added a score and an assist as the Pirates earned a tough road win Sept. 25 against a Tacoma squad that hadn’t lost a conference match.

Victor Sanchez added a score and teammates Kalei Gallarde and Erick Urzua added assists for P.C.

Apollon broke a scoreless tie at 25 minutes and added another two minutes later.

Tacoma got on the board at 74 minutes on a Chris Peterson tally.

Guerra had three saves for the Pirates.

"Always tough to play at Tacoma," Chapman said. "Tacoma plays well at home. We took advantage of our opportunities to score."

Looking ahead

Peninsula hosts NWAACC West Division rival Highline today, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m. The Pirates host Clark at 2 p.m. on Oct. 5 and Olympic at 4 p.m. on Oct. 9.