TUKWILA — Up 1-0 at halftime of their NWAC women’s soccer semifinal after capitalizing on a questionable hand ball in the box, the Peninsula College women removed any doubt as to the Pirates’ championship worth, pouring in a pair of deftly placed goals to beat Spokane 3-0 Friday afternoon.
Peninsula (14-0-0) will face North Division rival Bellevue (10-3-2) in the title match at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The Bulldogs advanced to the championship after defeating Clark 5-3 in penalty kicks after regulation and two overtime sessions ended tied 1-1.
Peninsula controlled much of the play in the first half, sending players forward and pressuring the Sasquatch defense.
Paige Johnson had the best chance for the Pirates, shooting from the middle of the goal box but Spokane goalkeeper Kami Warden managed to get a mitt on the ball and deflect it off the right post in the 29th minute.
Spokane was up for the challenge early on and put together some crisp counterattacks to quickly move the ball upfield toward the Pirates’ goal and take advantage of open space with a number of solid through balls.
The Pirates broke through in the 36th minute.
With no Peninsula players within yards, Spokane defender Karli Whitehead attempted to slow the ball down in the goal box ball but the ball’s bounce made contact with her arm — a handball — sending Risa Nishida to the penalty spot. Nishida converted easily to the right and Peninsula led 1-0 at the break.
Lauren Lases and Shawna Larson combined on the second Peninsula score in the 59th minute.
Lases gathered in a long goal kick from Alexandra Naill and bounced the ball ahead to Larson. The pair then played give-and-go with Larson flicking the ball forward and onto Lases’ forehead and into net for a 2-0 lead.
Rilee Leigh finished off the goal scoring for Peninsula, coming in from left to right to pounce on a Lases pass from point-blank range for a 3-0 lead.
Naill, who left the game briefly in the first half after a collision, returned and earned the shutout with seven saves.
Peninsula will be trying for its sixth NWAC championship, all of them under head coach Kanyon Anderson. It’s the 10th championship game appearance for the Pirates since the program’s inception in 2010.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
