Winning ugly doesn’t make Peninsula soccer team happy [The Peninsula Gateway, Gig Harbor, Wash.]

<p><chron>Oct. 05</chron>--Teams often speak about moral victories when they play well and lose.</p><p>The Peninsula Seahawks girls soccer team wasn't talking that way after Thursday's 2-1 <org>South Puget Sound League</org> win over the Lakes Lancers at Roy Anderson Field.</p><p>The Seahawks may have won the war, but they felt like they lost a lot of battles along the way. It was an understandable feeling, considering Lakes hasn't won a game this season and was bombarded 10-0 by Auburn Mountainview just two days earlier.</p><p>"We definitely played down a level," <org>Peninsula</org> senior midfielder <person>Katlyn Lundquist</person> said. "We stepped it up at the end, obviously, with the win, but we definitely could've played harder."</p><p>The Seahawks (3-2-2 overall, 1-1-0 league) haven't found consistent offense through their first seven games and were coming off a 1-0 loss at Enumclaw on <chron>Sept. 27</chron>.</p><p>The first 15 minutes against Lakes (0-4-1, 0-2-0) weren't much better, as neither team managed much possession in the other's offensive third. That quickly changed, though, when <org>Peninsula's</org><person>Bailey Rogers</person> raced down the right sideline and crossed the ball into the penalty box.</p><p><person>Nicole Holcomb</person> timed her run superbly and was all alone from six yards out when Rogers' pass arrived, giving the Seahawks a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute.</p><p>"I called for a 45 (degree) ball, and it was perfect," said Holcomb, a senior forward. "I got my head on it. I was missing them in warm-ups, and I was like, 'I'm going to get it.' And then I got it."</p><p>But <org>Peninsula's</org> goal didn't do much to phase Lakes, which began to generate some chances late in the first half. Seahawks goalkeeper <person>Becca Borg</person> had to make a diving save when the Lancers twisted a 25-yard free kick past the Seahawks' wall.</p><p><org>Peninsula</org> nearly doubled its lead before the half when <person>Mallory Golden</person> hit <person>Lauren Mercuri</person> down the middle of the pitch. Mercuri broke in alone but ripped her shot off the goalpost.</p><p>The Seahawks had two more near-misses early in the second half. Lundquist chipped a 10-yard shot over the crossbar, and an offside call negated a Rogers goal.</p><p>Those mistakes came back to haunt the hosts in the 50th minute. The Lancers curled a corner kick inside the penalty box, and when keeper <person>Katie Campbell</person> couldn't pounce on it, <person>Karley Kessel</person> was there to touch it in and even the score for Lakes.</p><p>"We've been playing better offensively and getting more shots, but we just need to find something that causes us to bring some intensity," Lundquist said.</p><p>Campbell made a diving save that kept the score deadlocked, and the Seahawks found their offensive magic a minute later. Near the right sideline, <person>Kyleigh Neighbors</person> lifted the ball to Lundquist, and she scored from the middle of the penalty box.</p><p>"We were just running low on energy, and we really needed to just step it up," Lundquist said. "Kyleigh had a good cross, and I just got a head to it, and it was just a good touch."</p><p>The Seahawks nearly had an insurance goal in the 70th minute. A Lakes defender put her hand on the ball near the goal line -- <org>Peninsula's</org> coaches argued unsuccessfully for an intentional hand ball and an ejection -- but <person>Rhea Canas</person> missed the ensuing penalty kick.</p><p>Campbell came up with another big play in the final minute, when she charged off her line to deny a breakaway opportunity.</p><p>The Seahawks hope to solidify their defensive line when senior <person>Jamie Fairbanks</person> returns this week from a concussion. They'd like to be at full strength as the SPSL's top three teams -- Decatur, Auburn Mountainview and Bonney Lake -- visit Roy Anderson Field in succession.</p><p>Holcomb is holding herself accountable as <org>Peninsula</org> tries to find consistent scoring.</p><p>"I need to step it up, but I've also been told I'm kind of like the playmaker, too," she said. "From the midfield, with the one forward, we look to play her or me, and we look wide to get those crosses back in.</p><p>"The second half is where we seem to struggle in games," she added. "Even if we have a great first half, then we kind of psyche ourselves out. ... We are so excited when we know we're doing well, yet, for some reason, we kind of fall apart."</p><p>Sports Editor <person>Neil Pierson</person> can be reached at 253-853-9246 or by email at <a href="mailto:neil.pierson@gateline.com">neil.pierson@gateline.com</a>.</p><p>Copyright 2011 The News Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</p><p class="shirttail">___</p><p class="shirttail">(c)2011 The Peninsula Gateway (Gig Harbor, Wash.)</p><p class="shirttail">Visit The Peninsula Gateway (Gig Harbor, Wash.) at www.thenewstribune.com/gigharbor</p><p class="shirttail">Distributed by MCT Information Services</p>