Ready to ‘Rumble’?
Some of the region’s top soccer teams visit the Olympic Peninsula on Saturday, April 26, when Peninsula College hosts a Rumble in the Rainforest Soccer Exhibition Extravaganza at Sigmar Field.
The Rumble is a benefit for Peninsula College’s soccer programs.
In conjunction with the adult program, there also is a youth jamboree at Peninsula College and Civic Field from April 26-27. The event showcases more than 30 youth teams from Victoria Highlanders Academy, Kitsap Pumas Academy and the local Storm King Soccer club.
Game times
Events on April 26 kick off at 9 a.m. on Sigmar Field with a match between the men of Wenatchee United (WenUtd FC) versus Peninsula College.
This is followed at 10:20 a.m. by an exhibition match between the women’s teams of Saint Martin’s College and Peninsula College. At 12:10 p.m., the men of Saint Martin’s and Peninsula College meet.
Men’s soccer dominates the rest of the day, continuing at 2 p.m. when Oregon’s IPS goes up against the Kitsap Pumas. At 3:20 p.m., the Victoria Highlanders face off against the University of Washington, followed by a 5:10 p.m. match pitting the Kitsap Pumas against Wenatchee United.
The Victoria Highlanders take the field again at 6:30 p.m. to challenge the Oregon IPS squad.
Car show, Kids Zone and food
In between the games, there will be plenty else to do on campus. Soccer fans and car lovers are invited to visit the free car show, hosted by the Peninsula College Auto Shop and Wilder Auto.
For youths, there is a special free Kids Zone sponsored by the Olympic Peninsula Boys & Girls Club.
All are invited to try out some food and drink from vendors include Toga’s Soup House, Next Door Gastropub and the Pirate Bay Cafe.
Admission
Price of admission includes in/out privileges throughout the day. Children 8 years old and younger are free. Tickets for youths ages 9-18 are $5; admission for those 19 years and older is $10. Family passes are $30.
For those unable to make it to Rumble in the Rainforest, all of the games will be broadcast online for a $10 fee. Fans will be able to make their payments through PayPal at www.ciactionsports.com/peninsula_college/rumble.html. Responses will come back via action@ciactionsports.
The teams
The Kitsap Pumas are an American professional soccer team based in Bremerton, Washington. Founded in 2008, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The Pumas are the 2011 PDL Champions.
The Victoria Highlanders FC is based in Victoria, B.C. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. Highlanders FC players are Canadian CIS and NCAA Division I University and College players, Canadian U20 National Team Players, local Vancouver Island players, and recruited players from around the world.
The Washington Huskies men’s soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of the University of Washington. The team is a member of the Pac-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and plays in the top level of college soccer in America, NCAA Division I.
Saint Martins’ teams participate in the NCAA’s Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the Division II level. In 2009, the men’s soccer team seized the first team title in any sport for Saint Martin’s University, winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
IPS is the division champions for the Oregon Premiere Soccer League. A substantial portion of the players in the OPSL have competed at the collegiate level and professional level with several players having played in the MLS, Mexico, Germany, England and in the US professional indoor soccer leagues.
Peninsula College Women and Men Pirates are the two-time defending Northwest Athletic Association of Community College champions. They play their regular season in the fall and are allowed a short exhibition season each spring. The Pirate women and men each won 21 games last fall, the first men and women program to win back-to-back championships in the NWAACC. In total, the men have three college championships and the women have two.
WenUtd FC is one of the founding members of the Evergreen Premier League. The Evergreen Premier League is an elite adult men’s soccer league for college and post-college age players to feature their skills on hometown clubs throughout the state of Washington.
