KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Konrad Muller, left battles for the ball with Bellevue’s Kel Isar on Wednesday in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Konrad Muller, left battles for the ball with Bellevue’s Kel Isar on Wednesday in Port Angeles.

COLLEGE SOCCER: Peninsula men come up clutch in stoppage time

Score two goals in final minutes

PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College delivered at the depths, scoring two stoppage-time goals to break open a tie game and stay unbeaten on the season in a 5-3 NWAC North Division men’s soccer contest on Wednesday at Wally Sigmar Field.

Peninsula tied the score at 3-all in the 62nd minute when the ball was worked from left to right around the goal box and Issei Fujiwara sent an expertly placed cross into the center of the goal mouth and onto the foot of the Pirates’ Konrad Mueller for his second goal of the match.

“Konrad is in a rich vein of form right now,” coach Jake Hughes said. “He has five goals in last three or four games.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

In stoppage time, a Bellevue possession deep in Peninsula territory quickly went up the field in the Pirates’ direction on a clearance pass to Grau near midfield. Grau turned his defender and lofted a pass ahead of fellow striker Austin Collins. Collins turned to gather the ball, then raced upfield into the goal box and was taken down while attempting to back his defender down earning a Peninsula penalty kick.

Grau confidently took the penalty, slamming it to his right and past diving Bellevue goalkeeper Mason Duarte and setting off a celebration with players, students and fans in the southeast corner of Sigmar Field.

“Austin Collins deserves his plaudits, he earned that penalty,” Hughes said. “And Nil confidently took that penalty.

When the match restarted, Peninsula put a bow on the contest with an insurance goal.

With the Pirates in full defensive mode sending all their players back behind the midfield stripe, Grau pounced on a loose ball on the right sideline and lofted the ball back toward the Bellevue goalkeeper. Duarte misjudged the ball, which had enough pace to get behind him and onto the foot of Collins who tapped the ball in net for the insurance score.

“Nil to Austin for the fifth goal and he outworked the opponent and was able to beat the goalkeeper,” Hughes said. “It was a good feeling to have it wrapped before the final whistle.”

Peninsula found themselves trailing by two goals after the first 22 minutes but equalized on scores by Jeremie Kuelo (assisted by Grau) in the 33rd and Mueller (Edwin Diaz) in the 43rd minutes.

“Honestly we started a little flat, our performance and intensity was a little flat and that impacted the game,” Hughes said.

“A couple of errors led to the two goals and before you know it you are two goals down against a good team. We made a couple of changes, partly forced due to injury, and juggling some players around in formation. It would have been quite easy to break and fold but we bent and showed good resilience.”

Pirates goalkeeper Laurin Lettow had four saves in net.

Peninsula (7-0-0, 10-0-0) hosts Skagit Valley on Wednesday.

________

Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Nil Grau, front, chases a loose ball pursued by Bellevue’s Patrick Gloria, left, and Beckett Heynen, rear, during Wednesday’s match at Peninsula College.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Nil Grau, front, chases a loose ball pursued by Bellevue’s Patrick Gloria, left, and Beckett Heynen, rear, during Wednesday’s match at Peninsula College.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Peninsula's Caleb Rollo, right, passes around the defense of Bellevue's Derek Johnson on Wednesday at Wally Sigmar Field in Port Angeles.
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Peninsula's Konrad Muller, left battles for the ball with Bellevue's Kel Isar on Wednesday in Port Angeles.
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Peninsula's Nil Grau, front, chases a loose ball pursued by Bellevue's Patrick Gloria, left, and Beckett Heynen, rear, during Wednesday's match at Peninsula College.
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Caleb Rollo, right, passes around the defense of Bellevue’s Derek Johnson on Wednesday at Wally Sigmar Field in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Caleb Rollo, right, passes around the defense of Bellevue’s Derek Johnson on Wednesday at Wally Sigmar Field in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Konrad Muller, left battles for the ball with Bellevue’s Kel Isar on Wednesday in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Konrad Muller, left battles for the ball with Bellevue’s Kel Isar on Wednesday in Port Angeles.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Peninsula’s Nil Grau, front, chases a loose ball pursued by Bellevue’s Patrick Gloria, left, and Beckett Heynen, rear, during Wednesday’s match at Peninsula College.

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS Peninsula’s Nil Grau, front, chases a loose ball pursued by Bellevue’s Patrick Gloria, left, and Beckett Heynen, rear, during Wednesday’s match at Peninsula College.

More in Sports

Port Angeles' Trae Hanan hits a single to begin a big rally in the sixth inning against Olympic on Tuesday. Port Angeles won 5-2, then dropped an eight-inning game 6-5 to Bainbridge later in the night. (Pierre LaBossiere/for Peninsula Daily News)
PREP BASEBALL: Port Angeles splits unusual three-team doubleheader

While the Port Angeles baseball team sometimes struggles to… Continue reading

Olympia’s Jonathan Wood caught this hatchery chinook while fishing off of Sekiu last weekend. The hatchery chinook limit in Marine Area 5 rises to two fish today <ins>Friday</ins>.
OUTDOORS: Blackmouth chinook limit upped to 2 off Sekiu

SO MANY BLACKMOUTH chinook remain on Marine Area 5’s (Sekiu) sublegal encounters… Continue reading

Port Angeles Roughriders
PREP SOFTBALL: Roughriders win behind clutch hitting, pitching in 7th inning

The Port Angeles softball team is crushing teams it should… Continue reading

Forks Spartans
PREP SPORTS: Forks boys soccer earns win over Tenino on PKs

The Forks soccer team, twice down by a goal, scored… Continue reading

WIAA
PREP SPORTS: WIAA sanctions girls flag football; does not pass transgender policy

For the first time since 1999, the Washington Interscholastic Activities… Continue reading

The first leg of this year’s Northwest Cup was held this past weekend at the Dry Hill race course. Nearly 500 racers from all across the Pacific Northwest competed. Here, Brandon Hintz of Seabeck flies down the bottom of the course. The NW Cup returns to Dry Hill May 16-18. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
DOWNHILL BMX: NW Cup returns to Dry Creek with nearly 500 competitors

Nearly 500 riders from all around the Pacific Northwest… Continue reading

Eli Allen, Quilcene baseball.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Eli Allen, Quilcene baseball

Eli Allen has been a huge part of the Quilcene baseball team’s… Continue reading

Sequim’s Chrissy Brown (106) runs the Railroad Bridge Run 5K last year in Sequim with her 8-year-old son. More than 450 people are expected to participate in this year’s sixth annual race. (Run the Peninsula)
RUN THE PENINSULA: Railroad Bridge Run returns Saturday

The second race in the Run the Peninsula series takes… Continue reading