Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula College women’s soccer team made quick work of a young and short-handed Skagit Valley Cardinals side in a 6-0 shutout at Wally Sigmar Field.
The victory sets up a Northwest Athletic Conference showdown Wednesday in Bellingham.
The third-ranked Pirates will tackle unranked Whatcom 2 p.m. Both teams share 3-0 North Division records and 4-1-1 season marks.
The nightcap will feature the top-ranked Peninsula men (3-0, 5-0-1), who stopped Skagit Valley 5-1 Saturday, against the sixth-ranked Orcas (3-0, 4-1-0). Kickoff is at 4:15 p.m.
The winner of each match will have sole possession of first place in the North.
Fans were still settling under the covered bleachers in the opening minutes of Saturday’s women’s match when the Pirates scored goals in the second and third minutes.
Hoku Afong scored on an assist from Kennady Whitehead and Maddy Parton followed with a nice header off a cross from Cierra Hamilton.
The Cardinals were credited with an own goal trying to block a sharply-struck cross from Afong for the third goal in the 18th minute.
Sydney Warren made it 4-0 on a goal assisted by Audrey Barham in the 25th minute, and then it was Kelly Kevershan to Bri Vallente for a 5-0 Pirate lead in the 32nd minute.
That was it for most of Peninsula’s starters, as the bench played out the remainder of the match — and still dominated, although scoring only once.
Sequim’s Heidi Vereide blasted a bomb from outside the box and curled it into the upper right corner of the Skagit goal to the delight of the home crowd and her teammates.
“We were able to play every player on the roster and keep a shutout,” head coach Kanyon Anderson said.
“We travel to Bellingham for a showdown of unbeatens on Wednesday.”
The Pirates have yet to concede a goal in three conference matches, while scoring 11.
Men Peninsula 5, Skagit Valley 1
The Pirates struck first in the 29th minute when Jason Ramos headed the ball home on an assist from Salvador Vargas. The hosts then made it 2-0 at halftime with an unassisted goal in the 44th minute from Juan Carrillo.
The next two goals came from the Cardinals, but the first of those was an own goal for Peninsula in the 57th minute.
Skagit Valley closed the gap to 3-1 with a goal in the 77th minute, but the Pirates answered with back-to-back goals from Joey Hollimon, the first one assisted by Demar Stewart and the second one a penalty kick.
The Cardinals lost their composure a bit down the stretch, picking up four yellow cards.