TUKWILA, Wash. – The 2021 NWAC Women's Soccer Championships had a pair of fantastic finishes in the semifinal round at Starfire Stadium on Friday. Peninsula and Clark both punched their tickets to the finals on Sunday, with matching 2-1 victories. Both teams remain undefeated on the season heading into the finals.
Peninsula 2, Columbia Basin 1
The Pirates (16-0-2) faced their toughest test of the season, taking on the East Region Champions Columbia Basin (12-2-2) in the first game of the women's semifinals. The Hawks gave Peninsula everything they could handle, including their first deficit of the season. Peninsula, who had only given up just two goals all season entering Friday, suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar territory as CBC took a 1-0 lead. The Hawks' Baylee Shewchuk scored the opening goal in the 27th minute as the ball ping-ponged around the box before Shewchuk was able to chip it by the keeper.
Columbia Basin continued to hold tough as they held a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Just minutes into the second half, Peninsula received a penalty kick opportunity. However, CBC keeper RiaJo Schwartz, who made 12 saves, came up with her biggest of the match to keep the Hawks' advantage.
The Peninsula pressure eventually proved to be too much as Kyrsten McGuffey finally broke through in the 59th minute, assisted by Chiaki Takase. With the score tied at 1-1, the Pirates continued their relentless offense, outshooting their opponent 17-3 in the half.
With regulation time ticking down, Peninsula's Grace Johnson received a pass wide down the sideline and sent a left-footed kick from an tough angle that found it's way into the top right corner of the net for the go-ahead goal. The Pirates were able to run down the final minutes, advancing to the finals once again.
Peninsula reaches their fifth-straight NWAC finals match and an incredible ninth time in the past 10 seasons.
Clark 2, Highline 1
In similar fashion to the first women's semifinal game, the eventual winning team found themselves behind early. Highline (12-2-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute as Meredich Udovich sent a perfect through ball to Andrea Guiton, who slid it past the keeper.
Clark (13-0-0), answered back, however, in the 37th minute. Reagan Griffith took a corner kick that was headered perfectly by Kelli Huskic to the foot of Shalece Easley, who sent it home. The goal built momentum for the Penguins, who were able to hold off Highline's early offensive pressure. The team's took a 1-1 tie into halftime.
Opportunities were scarce in the second half as both team's played great defense to limit the offensive chances. Finally, in the 80th minute, Sophia Green found a streaking Anna Neal down the right sideline. Neal put on the jets as she beat the last defender and was able to lace one past the keeper for the go-ahead goal.
Highline pressured back over the final 10 minutes of regulation plus extra time, but could not find the equalizer.
Both teams finished with 11 shots in a very evenly played match. Clark's Presley Gauthier made five saves while Highline's Haley Lindor had three.
Peninsula and Clark will faceoff on Sunday in a rematch of the 2018 finals, in which Peninsula came out on top. Both teams enter the finals with undefeated records and will play at Starfire Stadium at 4:30 p.m.
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Contact: Iain Dexter; idexter@clark.edu
