So far, so good … very good.

Peninsula College’s men’s and women’s soccer squads started the 2014 season strong with two wins each at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila last week.

Men run rampant in routs

No keeper experience? No problem — at least in these early-season match-ups.

Peninsula’s men routed a pair of perennial NWAC powerhouses at Starfire last week, all with a true rookie in goal.

In head coach Kanyon Anderson’s first game with the men’s team, the Pirates (2-0) clobbered Chemeketa 5-1 on Aug. 26 and followed that up with a 4-1 victory against Spokane a day later.

With injury and eligibility issues keeping its three goalkeepers off the field, Peninsula got a strong performance in both games from its defense and in goal from rookie keeper Julio Soto, a sophomore defender from Reno, Nev.

Against Chemeketa (0-2), Peninsula jumped out to a 4-0 advantage by halftime and went up 5-0 with five minutes left before Chemeketa spoiled the shutout. Sophomore Caio Maciel scored P.C.’s first goal of 2014, finishing off a run from freshman Trevan Estrellado, who took the ball through the box and right at the Storm goalkeeper before flipping it to Maciel for a 1-0 P.C. lead 19 minutes into the match.

Freshman Eddie Benito scored off another assist from Estrellado at the 24-minute mark for a 2-0 lead.

Freshman Chris Chertude snuck into the far post undetected on a corner kick and Maciel put the ball right to him for a wide open header 29 minutes into the match for a 3-0 lead, and sophomore Steven Rodriguez scoring the fourth by slipping a shot past the Chemeketa keeper with three minutes before half, getting the assist from Keevan Webb.

Freshman Keo Ponce gave the P.C. men a 5-0 lead on a breakaway from Rodriguez 65 minutes into the match.

The Storm’s Oscar Contreras spoiled the shutout, breeching Soto and the Pirate net at 85 minutes.

“The men played a mature game with few mistakes and a team mentality,” Anderson said. “Julio Soto in keeper did great.”

On Aug. 27 against Spokane it was Peninsula doing damage early once again in handing the Sasquatch (2-1) their first loss of the young season. Victor Sanchez opened the scoring at six minutes off a Chertude pass. Benito set up Chertude for a score 11 minutes later to put P.C. up 2-0.

Kassio Monteiro added an unassisted third goal at 27 minutes before Spokane’s Alex Opland made it 3-1 before halftime.

Sam McEntire added a goal for Peninsula just before the final whistle for the only second-half goal.

Soto made five saves in goal in his second collegiate game.

“The men used a productive first half to get the win,” Anderson said. “Spokane kept the pressure on throughout the game to keep our defense busy.”

Pirate women whitewash Clackamas, Spokane

Peninsula, the two-time defending Northwest Athletic Conference women, shut out defending South Division champion Clackamas 4-0 on Aug. 26 at Starfire, then edged perennial powerhouse Spokane 1-0 on Aug. 27 for a sweep in Tukwila.

The Pirate women wasted little time getting on the scoreboard against Clackamas (0-2), scoring in the sixth minute when sophomore Katelyn Raatz put a corner kick into the penalty box where freshman Tasha Inong headed it in, Inong’s first goal of her college career.

Peninsula put two more on the scoreboard before the halftime, both coming from freshman Kennady Whitehead. A midfielder from Sparks, Nev., Whitehead scored one from about 15 yards out off an assist from sophomore Alyssa Bertuleit and the second from close range, assisted by sophomore Solana Ashe.

With coach Kanyon Anderson substituting liberally in the second half, the Pirates added a score when freshman C.J. Stetser blasted a ball from 20 yards out into the left upper corner of the goal; the assist went to fellow freshman Michele Whan.

“We played with high energy and with a commitment to team defending,” Anderson said. “We ran seven defenders throughout the game. It was a group effort.”

Sophomore keeper Kasie Lough recorded the shutout with a strong effort in goal that included a tip save late in the match.

Against Spokane a day later, Lough made just two saves — but they were crucial in P.C.’s narrow victory.

Rebecca Tafte notched her first goal of the season unassisted as the Pirates held on against the 2012 runner-up Sasquatch (2-1), who were playing their third game in as many days.

Tafte scored when teammate Paxton Rodocker’s shot was blocked.

“It was a tough match-up against one of the top NWAC teams,” Anderson said. “Again, it was a strong team effort.”

Looking ahead

P.C.’s men and women plays a non-conference game in Bellingham against Whatcom on Sept. 5 before opening conference play at home Sept. 9 against Tacoma.

Against Tacoma, the women kick off at 2 p.m. while P.C.’s men start at 4 p.m.