PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College women’s soccer head coach Kanyon Anderson crowed a little after the Pirates scrapped and clawed for a much-needed 2-1 victory against rival Everett.
Anderson, the only head coach in the six-year tenure of the program, called Saturday’s win at Wally Sigmar Field “the biggest regular season victory” in school history.
Peninsula needed it, both mentally and in its quest for a fifth straight Northwest Athletic Conference division title.
The Trojans had beaten the Pirates 1-0 in three straight games, including the 2014 NWAC championship and in a match at Everett earlier this season that put the Trojans in first place in the North Division.
“I thought our intensity was good,” Anderson said.
“I felt we were the more aggressive team. We played like we had to win, and that was the effort we gave.
“We felt like we had to win this game so we could get our fifth consecutive division title.”
Peninsula was able to counter the size of the bigger Everett players with quickness and agility.
“We knew we had to use our mobility,” Anderson said.
“They are big. They have big central midfielders, and we thought we could use our speed and mobility to get to things.
“The last time we played, the game was played at a slower pace and their size trumped
our speed.
“Today we played faster.”
Everett, though, did come close to an early lead when the ball spent too much time inside the goal box before leaking out to Trojans forward Lauren Allison.
Allison uncorked a rocket of a kick that bounced hard off the crossbar in the seventh minute.
The teams competed heatedly for possession of the ball, and that passion was fueled by a tug-of-war for the head referee’s ear.
Everett head coach Geoff Kittle pleaded for foul calls from the head ref from the opening kick.
Kittle’s cries led to Anderson asking the assistant referee for impartial treatment, and even some derisive applause from the home crowd when the Pirates earned their first foul in the 26th minute.
That applause turned into loud cheers moments later.
Lexi Krieger took the free kick from just left of the top of the 18-yard box and sent in a missile of a strike to the low left post.
Everett goalie Emily Sorenson was there to block the shot but was unable to gather the ball cleanly, and Peninsula’s Hoku Afong crashed in to put the ball in the net.
“They were trying to have the wall on the left and also guard the back post,” Afong said.
“Our coach told us to watch the keeper’s hands because she whacks it sometimes, she doesn’t always catch it clean, and I rushed the middle and hopped on the second ball as soon as I saw it.”
The Pirates’ lead was short-lived.
Just a minute later, Everett’s Ava Mana’o dribbled through the right side of the Peninsula defense and put a shot past diving goalkeeper Manaia Siania-Unutoa into the goal.
The Pirates reacted well, however, continuing to put pressure on the Everett goal.
Ellie Small put a hard shot on Sorenson that was saved away in the 31st minute.
Afong nearly scored on a header in the 32nd, and Bianca Andrade-Torres sent another shot on goal at Sorenson.
The Pirates broke through after halftime when Afong took the ball on the right side of the 18-yard box and headed left, making a turn and sending a softly curving shot from right to left and past Sorenson into the net in the 53rd minute.
“I tried to find some players [to pass to] but I just decided to take it on and see if anything else built up,” Afong said.
“But nothing did, so I looked at the goal and I tried to kick it to the upper half.
“It was more of a touch goal. Some of the girls told me to settle my game down, and my coach said to just take players on, so I took his word for it and I passed two girls and took his advice to mind.”
Afong’s play was a nice display of touch, focus and nerve.
“What a great goal,” Anderson said.
“I liked that goal because there was the sense that she just decided, ‘I’m not going to be stopped on this play.’
“In high school, she beat everybody with power, and I just said you aren’t beating 5-foot-5 goalies anymore. You have to have a little more to beat these quality keepers.
“Hoku is a pure striker and confidence is a big part of her game. It’s taken her a little time to find it, but today seemed like her coming out party.”
Siania-Unutoa made two plays in goal to preserve the Peninsula lead.
First, she came out of the goal mouth to catch an Everett corner kick in the 77th minute.
A minute later, the Pirates couldn’t clear the ball, and Mana’o nearly made them pay.
She unleashed a solid strike at the near post, but Siania-Unutoa slid over and made a crucial save of the point-blank shot.
Peninsula was able to lob and run the ball out to forward Ellie Small and run the clock down after that near-miss to ice the game.
“Ellie was awesome today,” Anderson said.
“We don’t win that game without her effort.
“At the end we ran with just one striker and let her chase.
“I told her she probably put in 5 or 6 miles today and all of it at a sprint.”
Anderson said it was Peninsula’s first time beating a team ranked first in the NWAC Coaches’ Poll.
The Pirates were ranked fourth in the most recent poll, released Thursday.
“We didn’t like that poll and we wanted to go back on top,” Anderson said.
Afong summed up the big win best.
“It feels great to score and win against Everett,” she said.
Peninsula (6-1-0, 11-1-0) and Everett (6-1-0, 8-2-1) are now tied for the top spot in the NWAC North.
The rubber match will be held at Peninsula on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Peninsula visits Skagit Valley (0-6-1, 2-6-1) on Wednesday.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
