The Kitsap Pumas beat the Ocala Stampede 2-1 on Friday, getting goals from Joaquin Rivas in the 41st minute and Jesus Sanchez in the 89th minute. Kitsap plays in the PDL championship game Sunday at 10 a.m. PST.

Here is a link for the Kitsap Pumas’ PDL semifinal game against the Ocala Stampede.

Kitsap Pumas captain Cory Keitz picked up a pretty nice honor this week, being named to the All-Premier Development League team for 2014.

Keitz is retiring after this weekend’s PDL championships, so he’s hoping to add a title before he hangs up his cleats.

I admit it, covering the Kitsap Pumas in the 2011 season was fantastic. Covered pretty much all the home games and a couple of away games as the team marched all the way to a Premier Development League title.

I figured it’d be the best team we’d see Kitsap put on the field.

Well, the 2014 team is putting up quite a challenge with the Pumas ready to compete for another league title this Friday-Sunday in Pontiac, Michigan.

Here’s a story about how the teams compare. For my money, I’d take the 2011 team’s defense any day of the week, but the 2014 team’s offense seems to know how to get the goals in critical moments.

The Kitsap Pumas advanced to the Premier Development League’s national tournament after beating FC Tucson 3-0 in the Western Conference tournament.

Here is the story from Saturday’s game.

The Kitsap Pumas can clinch the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division title on Friday with a win over Washington Crossfire.
The Pumas have already clinched one of the division’s three playoffs berths.
Kitsap (7-1-4, 25 points) trails Vancouver (8-3-3, 27 points) for first place, but has two games in hand.
Victoria (6-3-3, 21 points), Sounders FC U23 (5-5-2, 17 points) and Portland (4-4-4, 16 points) are still alive. Victoria is the team which could pass Kitsap for second place, but the Highlanders would need to win out and have the Pumas lose out.

The Kitsap Pumas have spent most of the season in first place in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division.
That was until Vancouver (7-3-3, 24 points) won seven straight games to go in front of Kitsap (6-1-4, 22 points) earlier this week.
The Pumas can get back into first on Sunday when they host Puget Sound at 2 p.m. at Gordon Field.
Kitsap has two games in hand against Vancouver, so the Pumas aren’t panicking. But three points against Puget Sound would be welcome after Kitsap lost its first game of the season last weekend against Portland.
The top-three teams in the division make the playoffs.
Kitsap finishes the regular season with road games against Washington Crossfire (July 11) and Sounders FC U-23s (July 16).

The Kitsap Pumas (6-0-4) extended their first-place lead in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division to seven points with a 3-1 victory over Washington Crossfire on Saturday.

Chuy Sanchez, Miguel Gonzalez and Patrick Kelly each scored for Kitsap. Gonzalez added an assist.

After the game, Gonzalez said the Pumas aren’t celebrating anything yet despite the team getting close to clinching Open Cup and playoff berths.

“We are not champions yet,” Gonzalez said. “We still want it. You never know what other teams are going to do.”

Notes: Defender Rene DeZorzi, who has started every minute of every game at center back, will miss the rest of the regular season. He is going to Brazil for the World Cup. While not ideal, Kitsap coach Andrew Chapman said the team knew about DeZorzi’s trip before he signed with the club. Chapman also says because the team is relatively healthy, replacing DeZorzi should pose too much of a problem.

Kitsap Pumas midfielder Jesus Sanchez earned Premier Development League Player of the Week honors Thursday after his two-goal performance in Kitsap’s 2-1 victory over Lane United FC on Sunday.
Sanchez tied the game in the 66th minute on a volley just inside the goal box. Then in stoppage time with the Pumas playing a man down, Sanchez converted the game-winner on a free kick to help Kitsap extend its lead to five points in the Northwest Division.
The Pumas (5-0-4) face Washington Crossfire at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Gordon Field.

The Kitsap Pumas will play seven preseason game this spring, beginning with a matchup with Seattle University and former Pumas coach Peter Fewing.
The Pumas, who open the Premier Development League season May 11 at home against Vancouver, finalized their preseason schedule on Wednesday.
They’ll be on the road at Seattle University on April 6 at 2 p.m. The remaining schedule includes three home games at Gordon Field (April 12 vs. Bellingham United, 5:30 p.m.; May 3 vs. Peninsula College, 6 p.m.; May 6 vs. South Sound FC, 7 p.m.) and three road games (April 19 vs. University of Washington, 7 p.m., at Husky Soccer Stadium; April 26 vs. International Portland Select, 1:20 p.m., at Peninsula College; April 26 vs. Peninsula College, 4:30 p.m.; at Peninsula College).