By Eric Trent, Bellingham Herald and former Buccaneer Managing Editor
TUKWILA – Peninsula’s hopes of a repeat Northwest Athletic Conference title were shattered just over one minute into overtime, Sunday, Nov. 12, at Starfire Sports Complex.
After playing to a scoreless tie in regulation, Highline defender Bella Keane tossed the ball in from the sideline to teammate Fiona Dawson, who bounced it off her chest at the penalty area and into a crowd of two Peninsula players and Highline forward Jewel Boland.
The ball trickled out behind the three and rolled toward the goal box.
Boland found herself with a clear shot on goal and blasted the ball just below the crossbar, and over the outstretched hands of Pirate keeper Akari Hoshino, to help Highline capture its first ever NWAC women’s soccer championship.
This was a rematch of last year’s championship where Peninsula won, 1-0, in double overtime.
The Thunderbirds win snapped the Pirates’ nation-leading 38-game win streak.
Peninsula, the No. 1 seed in the North Region, came in as the top scoring offense of all-time in NWAC history with 142 goals this season, shattering the previous record of 129 set by Walla Walla in 2007, in 24 matches.
Highline coach Tom Moore praised the Pirates for its record-breaking season, despite falter- ing in the final game.
“Credit them, though,” Moore said. “Kanyon [Anderson] has done a great job. For them to put up the numbers they did this year, and for them to have that kind of a streak, it says a lot for their program.”
Peninsula (20-1-0) and Highline (18-0-2) entered as the top-two scoring offenses in the NWAC – and the top-two defenses.
The Thunderbirds entered as the No. 1 seed in the West Region, shutting out Spokane, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, then downing Clark, 3-2, on penalty kicks (4-3.)
Highline came in boasting a vicious defense, allowing only 5 goals the entire season, including 15 shutouts, both tops in the NWAC.
And it showed.
Peninsula fired five shots on goal to only three for Highline, and had three corner kicks to
only one for the Thunderbirds. All three corner kicks came up empty, and all five shots on goal weren’t squared up enough to seriously challenge the Thunderbirds’ keeper.
Moore said he’s glad they faced Peninsula in the title game. The level of competition Peninsula brings makes them his favorite match-up.
“I love playing [Peninsula] because that is the match-up,” Moore said. ‘If we could do it every year, I would do it. All the games leading up to that are great, but this is the game. I’d much rather play the best team.”