PORT ANGELES — It’s difficult, downright silly, to suggest a team that went 20-2 last fall and made it to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) semifinals underachieved.
But such is life for the Peninsula College women’s soccer program, which reached four consecutive NWAC championship games from 2011-2014, winning two titles.
“Coming off our first underachieving year is interesting, it’s like hitting the reset button,” Pirates coach Kanyon Anderson said.
“We went 20-2. It wasn’t like we were disappointing, but there was a sense that we came a little short.
“It was tough to lose in the final [2014], but it was nice to keep that streak of making four consecutive finals. When you lose in the semifinals its tough to put a positive spin on that.”
Anderson has gleaned a little information from his sophomore returners, the first team since the program’s inaugural squad in 2010 to miss out on playing for a championship.
“What I’ve heard from them is there is a little more hunger and maybe less of a sense that they know what to do,” Anderson said.
“There was maybe a little bit of complacency last year, a little bit of, ‘Oh, we got to the final and we lost the game but we’ll be there again next year,’ and obviously that’s not the right attitude.
“So not having got there [to the finals] was interesting for them. And the balance, the competitive balance from top to bottom is an eye-opener for some of them. And [new assistant] Dana [DeVaughn] is bringing new ideas, so there’s less sense of, “Oh, we’ve done this.”
DeVaughn, a former Cal-State Fullerton player who led the Titans to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division I tournament, spent the last few seasons as an assistant coach at Southern California junior college-powerhouse San Bernadino Valley College.
“The biggest difference is now we have an assistant coach who can devote all of her time to our team,” Anderson said.
“Jake Hughes did a terrific job last season, but he was pulled in two different directions as the men’s and women’s assistant.
“He also was new to college coaching, and that’s not the case for Dana. She coached at San Bernandino Valley, a nationally-ranked junior college program.
“Sometimes establishing that relationship between a coach and an assistant can be difficult. But she and I see the game similarly, I think, in terms of what’s absolutely necessary and how to communicate.”
Talent-wise, Anderson also sees a shift.
“There’s less separation from the top players to the bottom players, it’s more evenly spread out,” he said.
“We still have the handful of superstars, but last year it was a little clearer who the top-tier talents were. This season it’s more evenly distributed.”
Key returners for Peninsula include NWAC North Region All-Star forward Ellie Small.
“She was an All-Star, I think the only freshman All-Star, but I think Kennady Whitehead also should have been picked.
“Kennady has played in the holding midfield for us. Ellie plays up top and scored a bunch of goals for us. She had one of the best goal-scoring seasons for a freshman (10 goals, eight assists).
“They are both just so packed with energy,” Anderson said.
“Give them a tiny poke and they just go. They do it all for us.”
Outside defender Cierra Hamilton, affectionately known as Tita, a Hawaiian term for a strong, independent-minded and fierce woman, is the Pirates’ lone returning starter on its defensive core.
Audrey Barham, a striker last season, made the move to outside back during the offseason.
“She’s been awesome out there and it was all a stroke of luck,” Anderson said. We tried her there in a scrimmage during the spring and it was like her eyes lit up.”
Other contributors from last year’s team include defenders Kameryn Jury-Hale and Bailie Zuber and forwards Bri Jackson-Vallente and Hoku Afong.
Central midfielder Coby Yoshimura also returns.
“She’s really good off the dribble and super quick,” Anderson said.
“A great one-on-one player. If we were to hold a one-on-one tournament I wouldn’t be surprised if she won it.”
Two Sequim players, Heidi Vereide and Leslie Cisneros, also will play for Peninsula this fall.
“Heidi’s skills have gone through the roof,” Anderson said.
“She’s one of our best athletes, maybe our fastest player.”
Newcomers expected to contribute immediately include midfielder Sarah Reiber, striker Maddy Parton and center-back Emelie Small, Ellie’s younger sister.
Another player Anderson was excited to sign is forward Sydney Warren of Tahoma (Maple Valley).
“It was awesome to get her. She was really on a lot of people’s radar. Her sister, Hayley, was the NWAC’s leading scorer at Shoreline [2013 and 2014]. And her dad played in the World League of American Football in the 1990s.”
Anderson said the goalkeeper competition was tight and too close to call between Natalie Carreon, Port Townsend’s Malia Henderson, Cicely Warnick and Akari Hoshino.
Peninsula opens its regular season Saturday at the NWAC Friendlies at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. The Pirates face the hosts Saturday before playing Highline on Sunday. Highline was the team that eliminated Peninsula from the NWAC semifinals last November.
Peninsula Pirates
•Head coach: Kanyon Anderson (sixth season)
•Assistant: Dana DeVaughn
•Last year: 20-2-0 overall, 14-1-0 (first) in North Division; made NWAC semifinals.
•Top Returners: Ellie Small (F), Hoku Afong (F), Audrey Barham (D), Kennady Whitehead (MF), Kameryn Jury-Hale (D), Bri Jackson Vallente (F); Cierra Hamilton (OB).
•Newcomers: Sarah Reiber (MF), Maddy Parton (F); Sydney Warren (F); Emelie Small (CB).
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
