By Eric Trent
It was a final farewell for sophomores and a proving ground for returning fresh- men at the 2016 Rumble in the Rainforest on Saturday, April 23 at Sigmar Field in Port Angeles.
The Pirate women took a 1-0 win over Saint Martin’s University, and a 3-0 win over the Olympic Force to go undefeated for the day.
The Pirate men fell 2-0 at the hands of Saint Martin’s but rebounded with a 1-1 tie the Olympic Force.
Women’s head coach Kanyon Anderson said, “This is a bit of a farewell but we will continue to train this Spring.
“And, we encourage our players to stay connected to the program.
“There is some nostalgia associated with the game but that isn’t the main focus.
“From my perspective the Rumble is a reward for all the work we have done this year and a chance to celebrate with our fans. It is such a positive day.”
The first game kicked off with the Peninsula men vs. Saint Martins.
Facing an insurmountable 2-0 deficit, the Pirate men were unable to find the goal and stage a comeback against the much larger, four-year university.
In the second game, Peninsula women faced off against Saint Martins, and dealt a retaliation blow for the men.
In the 10th minute, Freshman Ellie Small capitalized on a Saint Martin’s miscue, broke free with the ball and booted a shot into the far post for what proved to be the game-winning shot.
“I just remember the ball getting popped out,” Small said. “The defender made a mistake, she missed it and the ball started rolling towards their goal.”
“I turned and ran, took a touch, saw the goalie coming out and just placed it into the far post,” she said.
“I thought it was going out, but it start- ed to turn at the last second and went in,” she said.
Next up was the Pirate men vs. the Force.
Port Angeles-native Tim Schneider knocked in a goal with 7:35 left to give Peninsula a 1-1 tie to end the game.
“I took a touch, looked up and the defense was giving me space, so I took them on,” Schneider said. “Hit the go-ahead shot and it went it. I had no idea it was going in.”
The final game featured the Pirate women vs. Olympic Force.
Leslie Cisneros scored with 14 minutes left in the first, Ellie Small hit one in with 8:40 left in the first, and Hoku Afong rocketed a goal in with 5:59 left in the game, giving Peninsula a 3-0 win over the semi-pro team from Bremerton.
Four sophomore men played their final game for Peninsula.
Trevan Estrallado; Micah Weller; Manny Medina and Keo Ponce. Red- shirt freshman keeper Nick Johnson also played in his final game for the Pirates.
Rodriguez said, “It’s more so for the guys moving on to give them an opportunity to continue to train at a high level and play in a game before they move on.
“And then the guys returning, it gives me an idea of how far they’ve progressed since when they first stepped foot on cam- pus.”
Seven Pirate women put on their jersey for the last time:
Manaia Siania-Unotoa; Michelle Wan; Tasha Inong; Bianca Andrade-Torres; Paige Mahuka; Lexi Krieger; Karen Corral and Tori Hagen.
Rodriguez said, “It’s a special moment for them to play in another game before they move in, hopefully in front of friends and family, and wear the PC uniform one more time.
“It’s exciting to see them move on, but certainly sad as well.”
