TUKWILA, Wash. - The Peninsula Pirates continued their championship title defense with a 1-0 win over Walla Walla in the semifinals of the 2024 NWAC Men's Soccer Championship on Friday night at Starfire Stadium.
The Pirates got a goal in the 38th minute by Ezrah Ochoa off a blocked shot, not needing another goals to hold off a fierce Warriors squad. In a physical game that featured 29 total fouls and seven yellow cards, both teams battled with incredible effort, but ended shaking hands in a competitive semifinal.
Walla Walla, who had one the last two games in overtime including scoring a game-tying goal in extra time in the quarterfinals, came up just short in another strong effort from the team. Peninsula led the match with a 14-9 advantage in shots, but the Warriors put on pressure with a 6-2 corner kick lead with four in the second half. Austin Collins had five shots for Peninsula while Ochoa had four.
Peninsula goalkeeper Laurin Lettow earned the clean sheet with six saves. His counterpart, Aaron Lowry, made five saves for the Warriors.
The Pirates will have the opportunity to win back-to-back titles on Sunday to become the first team to do so since Peninsula did in 2012 and 2013. They will face Clark College on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Starfire Stadium, with the winner hoisting the trophy.
