Pirates fall to Chemeketa in opener SALEM - The Pirates dropped their non-conference opener at Chemeketa 1-0 Saturday. The hosts scored 73 minutes into the match and held the PC men out of their net in a contest that saw each team get off eight shots on goal. Salem grad Alec Risk recorded five saves at the goal keeper position for the Pirates. The match was played in the honor of Jared Nagel, a Pirate sophomore who died last February in a snowboarding accident. It was played at Salem West High School, where Jared was a soccer standout. His family and friends were on hand to cheer on the PC men as they kicked off a new season. Clippers cancel PC's opener OLYMPIA - South Puget Sound could not field enough players to tackle the Pirates Friday and elected to cancel that non-conference match. The PC men will now make their 2008 debut in Salem Saturday against Chemeketa. Pirates scrimmage across border The Pirates soccer team returned from Victoria with a good showing but no stats to prove it. On Monday the Pirates played University of Victoria in a scrimmage, losing 3-0. U-Vic scored in the first half at about 30 minutes in and then rallied for two more goals late in the second half. The PC men played hard for 90 minutes against a very strong four-year university program and looked sharp for only sharing a field for a week. "We had some really good performances from John Troka in the midfield and Jase Hall in the goal," coach Andrew Chapman said of two freshmen. On Tuesday, the Pirates started a little flat against Vancouver Island University and it cost them a goal 5 minutes in. Vancouver Island scored 3 more in the first half. The second half, however, was a different story, as the Pirates came to life to hold the more experienced squad scoreless in a 4-0 final. "We had one bad half, but besides that, we played them very tough," Chapman said. "We had two really good chances in the second half by Ernest Boham, just missing the goal. Both of the Vancouver Island universities include five-year players. "If you ask me how I feel about these losses and how we played, I would say, 'we started the same way last year, losing 3-0 and 5-1, but yet we ended up winning 14 games in the season.' " Pirates set to defend West Division title PORT ANGELES - The Pirates will begin a quest to defend their NWAACC West Division championship, starting with the first day of practice on Aug. 15. The weight room and cardio room will be open for players to condition on a volunteer basis the week of Aug. 11 in preparation for a rigorous practice schedule the following week. New players will be trying out Aug. 15 at 8:00 a.m. as coaches Andrew Chapman and Tim Tucker will evaluate 19 incoming freshmen, as well as red shirts and returning sophomores. The 2008 Pirates will be exciting to watch - and fans can see their first action Aug. 25 and 26 when they play scrimmages at the University of Victoria and Vancouver Island University. The PC men open non-conference play at South Puget Sound on Aug. 29, at Chemeketa Aug. 30 and at Evergreen State on Sept. 3. The Pirates open conference cross-over play at home on Sept. 9 against Edmonds. |  | |