By Mike Drake
“I am really happy about this championship. I think it has been the best win of my career,” said Head Coach Kanyon Anderson
On Nov. 13, at Starfire Sports Com- plex, Peninsula College won the Nort West Athletic Conference Championship in the second sudden death over-time half. Bri Vallente scored the game- winning goal at 103 minutes off an assist by Maddy Parton to make the final score 1-0.
This is the third NWAC champion- ship Anderson has won since taking over at Head Coach for the Lady Pirates.
Anderson reflected on his thoughts after the game was over, saying, “The thought that continues to run through my mind is that this team did every- thing they were asked to do all year. If I’ve ever had a team that deserved this level of success it is this group. Sports are cruel sometimes and can break your heart. This year worked out perfectly for us.”
Vallente said, “Honestly, I was not expecting that to happen. I was so shocked, especially coming off my injury. It was truly a blessing.” Vallente sprained her ankle at the beginning of the season and missed the majority of the games.
Vallente scored 3 goals in the playoffs, two against North Idaho in a 3-1 victory in the Final Four, and the only goal against Highline.
Vallente received the MVP award of the 2016 NWAC tournament. She said, “I wouldn’t have been able to get that without my teammates. They are amazing.” Anderson proudly spoke of his confidence in Vallente. “We knew Bri was going to come up big for us. She was our leading scorer before she got injured this season, and she is still just getting back into her top form. She is relentless and when many of the players on the field might have been thinking about the game going to penalty kicks, Bri was definitely thinking about scoring the game-winning goal.”
“I have learned that nothing changes when you win a championship. We will take a break for the holidays, and let the players heal their tired bodies, and then we will get back after it,” said Anderson. “My primary focus is getting the sophomores moved on to universities and help- ing the freshmen become even better than they already are.”
Peninsula College Dean of Athletics Rick Ross spoke about the big win, “It was intense. Fans were pacing, sitting on the edge of their seats. I’m sure some may have been praying. It’s hard to imagine a 0-0 game being that exciting, but it was. It typified how these young women played all year.”
Ross recounted the game-winning play, “Ellie heads the ball to Bri, she sends a perfect through pass to Mad- dy, who has to outrun a Highline defender to get to the ball, which she does, and she sends it back to the box where Bri was charging hard for the finishing touch. When you play that hard, that deep into a match, and play together, good things happen.”
Ross continued, “I was very excited and emotional. It’s a pretty special thing to win a state championship. There are 18 other community colleges in Washington and Oregon, most of them considerably larger than Peninsula, who have never won a women’s soccer championship. Winning three in seven years is extraordinary and a reflection of the hard work our players and coaches put into the pro- gram.”
“Kanyon has done an incredible job with our women’s soccer program,” Ross added. “He works hard year-round to recruit outstanding student-athletes, his teams have been very successful on the soccer field, winning six straight league titles and three NWAC championships, and his players tend to be outstanding students and outstanding citizens in our community. Most of those who graduate, and want to play on, are playing at the four-year level. I couldn’t be more proud of the work he’s done here.”
Anderson said, “I am really happy about this championship. I think it has been the best win of my career”.
This is the third NWAC championship Anderson has won since taking over at Head Coach for the Lady Pirates.
Hoku Afong said, “After we won the championship game, I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. The last time I had won something like this, I was a freshman in high school. We all work for each other, We all play with heart. We’re putting in as much hard work as we can.”
This is the last season for 12 players. Hoku Afong, Audrey Barham, Cierra Hamilton, Elizabeth Hornsey, Kameryn Jury-Hale, Marriah Perez, Ellie Small, Bri Vallente, Cicely Warnick, Kennady Whitehead, Coby Yoshimura and Bailie Zuber.