PORT ANGELES — For the fourth time in the span of a year, the Pirates left a battle with Whatcom on the soccer pitch all knotted up.
The Pirates and Orcas tied 2-2 and it has yet been settled this season which is the superior team. Whatcom has yet to suffer a loss in league play and the only blemishes on its record are three ties — two of them to Peninsula. While the Orcas have risen to become a power in the North Division, the Pirates, one point behind, certainly aren’t backing down and conceding the division.
In the women’s game, the Pirates beat Whatcom 2-0 to remain in first place.
The Pirate men were forced to rally in this draw, coming from two goals down to tie the Orcas 12 minutes into the second half.
“We made some glaring mistakes early and started slowly. You can’t start slowly against a team like Whatcom because they will punish you,” said head coach Jake Hughes.
Hughes said the team “showed great character” coming back from that 2-0 hole. “We won the second half clearly,” he said.
Still, Hughes said the Pirates are not totally happy to tie Whatcom again. The Pirates tied the Orcas twice last year, too.
“There’s always a sense of frustration when you get a tie against a bitter rival,” he said.
Hughes said the fun thing, however, is that the Pirates get at least one more crack against the Orcas. They meet a third time with a possible division title on the line, in Bellingham on Oct. 24.
“Winning the division on their field gives us some added incentive,” Hughes said.
Whatcom got ahead extremely fast, scoring its first goal in just 46 seconds. The Orcas added a second goal in the 13th minute as they threatened to run away with the match early.
The Pirates maintained their composure, however, scoring in the 33rd minute on a goal from Mason Haubrich, assisted by Calvin Aguirre.
Aguirre scored in the 57th minute to tie it at 2-2. His goal was assisted by Edgar Tavares.
Whatcom outshot the Pirates 15-7 and had a slight edge in corner kicks 5-4. Goalkeepers Evan Scholes of the Pirates and Jared Hoyt of the Orcas each made three saves.
Peninsula’s (6-1-2 20 points, 7-3-2) next match is at home at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Edmonds (3-5-1, 3-7-2).
Peninsula women
Peninsula 2, Whatcom 0
The Pirates for one goal early and one insurance goal late, then got a shutout from goalies Chloe Kenna-Merlo and Andrea Kenagy to beat Whatcom 2-0.
It was the women’s fourth straight shutout (and eighth overall) as the Pirates have now gone 426 minutes (not counting stoppage time) without allowing a goal.
Halle Watson scored in the seventh minute, assisted by Samantha Oliveira. Oliveira got an insurance goal in the 67th minute with an assist from Kayla Alcott.
Though the score was close, the Pirates dominated the action. Whatcom goalkeeper Erin Smith was forced to make six saves and Peninsula outshot Whatcom 15-6 and had five corner kicks to the Orcas’ none.
The Pirates are not the offensive powerhouse they were last season, but they are still putting up some incredible numbers. In league play the have outscored their opponents 47-2 in nine matches. In 13 matches, they have only allowed eight goals, which is second-best in the entire NWAC.
Coach Kanyon Anderson said the Pirates defense this year has been “awesome.” He said that defense is anchored by the two best center-backs in the league in Halle Watson and Sam Guzman. He called them both big, strong, fast and most of all, smart.
Anderson said while he’s thrilled with the defense, he was actually pretty critical of his players after the Edmonds win because they only managed two goals (and didn’t score that second goal until late in the match).
“I was focused on scoring more goals,” he said. He said the scoring opportunities are there, but that the players aren’t recognizing them.
The Pirates have a big match coming up at 2 p.m. Wednesday against second-place Edmonds. Edmonds and Peninsula tied 1-1 the last time they played and in fact that Tritons’ goal on Sept. 22 was the last goal the Pirates have given up. Peninsula has opened up a six-point lead against Edmonds over the past week and can go a long way to locking up the North title with a win.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Peninsula’s Emilee Greve, left, and Samantha Guzman, right, box in Whatcom’s Katelyn Neher during their match on Saturday at Wally Sigmar Field.
