This looks familiar.
After years of dominating the NWAC’s West for four years, Peninsula College’s women’s soccer squad is on top of their division once again — this time, the North — after knocking off Whatcom’s Orcas 6-0 on Oct. 28.
The win gives the Pirates a first-round bye in the NWAC playoffs as they chase a third conference title in four seasons.
At noon on Nov. 7, Peninsula hosts the winner of a first-round NWAC playoff between North Idaho, the No. 2 team in the East Division, and Chemeketa, the South division’s No. 3 team, in an NWAC quarterfinal game. The winner moves on to play in the conference Final Four, set for Nov. 14-15 in Tukwila.
Overcoming the Orcas
It took 43 minutes for Peninsula to break through Whatcom’s defense and another 32 minutes to do it again, but once they did it was a proverbial landslide.
Myu Ban found Ellie Small on a breakaway for a score at the 43-minute mark and Peninsula held a 1-0 lead at home against Whatcom. It was Ban’s 13th assist, which leads the conference.
It stayed 1-0 until the 75-minute mark when Hoku Afong knocked in a goal past Orca keeper Ariana Leyba. The scores just kept coming. Peninsula added tallies by Ban (76 minutes), Coby Yoshimura (84), Paige Mahuka (87) and Michele Whan (88).
Lexi Krieger, Bri Jackson-Vallente and Brenda Torres-Hernandez picked up assists.
PC keeper Manaia Siania-Unutoa needed just one save to record the shutout, her 11th of the season.
And finally …
Peninsula capped the 2015 regular season with a 2-1 win in wet, windy conditions at Edmonds on Oct. 31.
Whan set up Ban for the game’s first score at 23 minutes. Olivia Olason of Edmonds, however, evened the game at the 37-minute mark. Krieger, Peninsula’s top goal-scorer, notched her 14th score of the season about 19 minutes into the second half.
The Pirates, now ranked No. 1 in the most recent NWAC poll, have won 13 consecutive games.
North Division standings (final)
Team Conf. Pts Over. GF-GA Sho.
Peninsula 14-1-0 42 19-1-0 85-6 14
Everett 13-2-0 39 15-3-1 2-7 14
Shoreline 7-7-2 20 8-8-3 26-23 8
Whatcom 6-9-0 18 7-10-0 22-44 1
Edmonds 3-10-2 11 4-11-3 19-40 4
Skagit Valley 0-13-2 2 2-13-2 9-65 3
