PORT ANGELES — Two posts. Two golden chances. That’s how close the Peninsula College soccer men came from moving on to the NWAC quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, a hard-fought match that saw huge swings of momentum and some amazing plays on both sides came down to a judgment call. A foul called against Peninsula in overtime in the penalty area while two players were alone in the box jockeying for position. The call, with less than a minute remaining in the second overtime, gave Pierce College a penalty kick, which the Raiders converted to quickly end the NWAC playoff match with a 2-1 win at Sigmar Field.
The Pirates end their season 11-6-2, falling in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season.
The game went into overtime only because of a dramatic goal on a header by Sterling Penninston-John in the 90th minute by the Pirates to tie the match at 1-1.
The match had an odd feel to it from the get-go as the NWAC failed to assign officials to the match, causing an hour’s delay while officials could be found. Then the match essentially ended because of an official’s call at the end.
“It was a heartbreaker,” said coach Jake Hughes. “[But] we had opportunities to put the game to bed.”
Hughes pointed out to his players that their soccer careers are continuing as most of the Pirates’ sophomores are moving on to four-year schools and programs.
“I told them any pain they feel … it’s important for them to accept it for what it is and grow from that experience,” he said. “This is not the end for these kids. It’s just a step.”
The Pirates could have had three or four goals in the match, but the ball simply refused to find the back of the net. Peninsula ended up outshooting Pierce College 20 to 6, forcing nine saves by Raiders goalie Alek Greenleaf, a couple of them spectacular.
The Pirates’ Hide Inoue had several great runs at the Raiders net all match. He forced Greenleaf to make a diving save in the 29th minute after he beat a bunch of Raiders’ defenders.
Pierce put on pressure of its own in the first half. In one two-minute sequence, the Raiders had five corner kicks and a deep throw-in in less than five minutes, all of which were soundly defended by the Pirates. The Pirates’ Evan Scholes had a spectacular game of his own. He made a great save on a point-blank shot in the 37th minute which left him dazed on the ground for a couple of minutes.
The half ended with Inoue drawing a penalty in the Raiders’ penalty area for a penalty kick. His shot beat Greenleaf, but bounced off the post to stay out. An exciting half with a ton of scoring chances for both teams ended 0-0.
Shortly after the break, the Pirates’ Calvin Aguirre nearly scored an amazing goal on a bicycle kick, but his shot went just high. If it had gone in, it would have been one of the most spectacular goals in recent years for Peninsula.
In the 53rd minute, the Raiders got a break when a penalty was called against the Pirates in the box away from the ball. Scholes came up big again, though, guessing right on the penalty kick and making his second great save of the match to keep the score 0-0.
The Pirates hit the post again in the 66th minute on a wide-open shot by Joshua Lopez on a great pass from Inoue.
Those posts? “That the game,” said Hughes. “It’s a brutal game. Half an inch this way, half an inch that way.”
The Raiders finally broke through on a free kick from midfield by Greenleaf in the 69th minute. His kick found teammate Carlos Rodriguez, who knocked the ball past Scholes for a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates pressed, doing everything they could to tie the match and their hard work paid off with no time left on the clock. On a corner kick, the ball got loose in the box and Penninston-John headed it in to knot the score.
In the overtime, Peninsula had possession much of the first 10 minutes. A point-blank shot by Mason Haubrich was blocked by Greenleaf and another open shot by Manuel Galiano went high over the net.
Finally, the Raiders got a huge break with the penalty call in the box to end the match seconds before the end of the first overtime.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
