PORT ANGELES — Rumble in the Rainforest, Peninsula College’s fundraiser for its soccer programs, drew in the crowds and the money last weekend.
“It was a huge success,” Peninsula men’s soccer coach Andrew Chapman said.
“Between the fans, teams and volunteers, we had over 700 people in attendance throughout the day.”
The event brought in more than $7,000 with just over a $4,000 profit to help support the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
“Teams have already committed to come back next year and people in the community are already talking about how they can support the event,” Chapman said.
“Maybe we will call it Rumble in the Rainforest: The Downpour [for next year’s event].”
The soccer was nonstop, and included unofficial scrimmages between college, semipro and pro clubs.
The Kitsap Pumas scored 11 goals and surrendered none Saturday with a 9-0 win over Saint Martin’s of Lacey, followed by a 0-0 draw with Seattle University and a 2-0 score over the Pirates in a 45-minute affair.
“It was an amazing event,” Pumas head coach James Ritchie said.
“Coach Chapman and his Peninsula staff did a great job of setting up the event, and went out of their way to make sure our players were well looked after.
“The games were great and the entire event was a big success. We would be very happy to return again next year if invited.”
In other action at the event, the Saint Martin’s men beat the Pirates 2-1 but the Peninsula women defeated Saint Martin’s 1-0, while the Victoria Highlanders picked up a couple of victories, beating the Washington Huskies 1-0 and Seattle University 2-1.
Ritchie was glad to see his defense coming together ahead of Kitsap’s May 4 opener at Victoria.
“The lads had a number of great goals and three clean sheets. We got a lot of players playing time.”
The Pumas used Rumble in the Rainforest to test out strategies.
“We had the chance to play a number of different systems,” Ritchie said.
“Some worked well, some need a bit tweaking. But overall, the positives outweighed the negatives.
“Getting all the lads time on the field was also great and gave them the chance to compete for a starting position.”