PORT ANGELES — With all due respect to the NWAACC, the largest assembly of soccer talent at Wally Sigmar Field in 2014 will be Saturday at the Rumble in the Rainforest.
Not only will Peninsula College’s double-repeat NWAACC-champion men’s and women’s teams take the field at the annual Pirates fundraiser, but so will some of the top college and semipro teams from the Pacific Northwest, including the University of Washington men, the Kitsap Pumas, the Victoria Highlanders, Wenatchee United, the Saint Martin’s University men’s and women’s teams and International Portland Select.
Wenatchee United and IPS are new additions, replacing Seattle University, which was unable to participate this year.
The 2013 Rumble in the Rainforest brought in more than $7,000 with just over a $4,000 profit to help support Peninsula College’s men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Peninsula College director of soccer and men’s head soccer coach Andrew Chapman expects an even better Rumble this year.
The philosophy for the fundraiser is the same as it is for the Peninsula men, which have won three of the last four NWAACC championships.
“Basically, the idea was to be better than we were last year,” Chapman said earlier this week.
Chapman said there will be a “bigger, better atmosphere,” at Saturday’s event, which will include a free car show hosted by the Peninsula College Auto Shop and Wilder Auto and a free kids zone sponsored by the Peninsula Boys & Girls Club.
The also will be an over-21 hospitality area and food vendors such as Pirate Cove Cafe, Next Door Gastro Pub and Toga’s Soup House. (No outside food or beverages are permitted.)
Full day of games
Then there is the action on the field.
The Peninsula men open the day with a 9 a.m. game against Wenatchee United, a semipro team that plays in the Evergreen Premier League, an elite adult men’s soccer league for college and post-college-aged players.
The Pirates will be facing some familiar faces in the opener, including Angel Guerra, who was Peninsula’s goalkeeper last year.
Wenatchee also has Matt Stefanko, a defender who played at Peninsula College for the 2010-11 seasons.
The Pirates top returnee is Ash Apollon, who as a freshman last year tied the school record for assists in a season, 15, and had the fifth-best single-season goal total with 16.
Chapman said that his team will also feature six new Brazilian players.
Peninsula and Wenatchee will play a 60-minute match.
Here is the full slate of games:
■ 9 a.m. — Peninsula College men vs. Wenatchee United (60 minutes).
■ 10:20 a.m. — Peninsula College women vs. Saint Martin’s University (90 minutes).
■ 12:10 p.m. — Peninsula College men vs. Saint Martin’s University (90 minutes).
■ 2 p.m. — Kitsap Pumas vs. International Portland Select (60 minutes).
■ 3:20 p.m. — Victoria Highlanders vs. University of Washington (90 minutes).
■ 5:10 p.m. — Kitsap Pumas vs. Wenatchee Wild (60 minutes).
■ 6:30 p.m. — International Portland Select vs. Victoria Highlanders (60 minutes).
Chapman also is in his first season as head coach of the Kitsap Pumas, a USL Premier Development League based in Bremerton.
Another addition to this year’s Rumble is a youth jamboree taking place at Peninsula College and Civic Field on Saturday and Sunday, which will showcase more than 30 youth soccer teams, including Storm King Soccer and other area teams, as well as teams from the Victoria Highlanders Academy and the Kitsap Pumas Academy.
Admission
Tickets are $5 for ages nine to 18, and $10 for those 19 and older. Children eight years old and younger are free.
A family of four or more will be admitted for $30, if that is a cheaper option.
The price of admission includes in and out privileges throughout the day.
Watch online
For those unable to attend the Rumble in the Rainforest, all of the games will be broadcast online for a $10 fee.
Make payments through PayPal at www.tinyurl.com/pdnRumbleTV. (Responses will come back via action@ciactionsports.)
