By Halle Nottage
Samantha Oliveira has been outstanding for the Peninsula College Women’s Soccer Team for her many different contributions. She held the goal record for this past season, finishing with 21 goals. She was Under Armour’s NWAC Soccer Player of the Week for week 6 of the season, and she was a vital piece of the puzzle in helping the team to an NWAC championship. On top of all of her on field accomplishments, she also has done well in the classroom, making honor roll this past quarter. Her latest contribution to the program has been creating and organizing a 5v5 tournament in June to help raise money for the Women’s Soccer Program.
The main reason the tournament is happening is to raise money to buy the team matching shoes in order to make them appear far more professional and organized looking when they travel to away-games. However, a fundraiser like this goes far deeper than just buying shoes for the team, it also plays a crucial role in the soccer team’s ability to give back to the community.
A tournament like this will allow for the players out of Port Angeles and Sequim communities to come together and compete in a fun environment with support from the soccer team. “I’ve always loved to give back to the community, and I thought putting something like this together would not only accomplish that, but also work for our own gear as student athletes,” she said.
This tournament is a first time ever executed here at PC, making it all the more exciting as it will bring about new experiences for both those playing it and those running it. Oliveira’s ingenuity has received full support from the soccer program. Several in-town businesses including Les Schwab, Allison Mahaney, Steve Methner-State Farm, and Spa Shop have also sponsored the event.
The 5v5 Tournament will take place on June 8, and will be hosted by the women’s soccer team. This particular tournament is for the youth, with a larger tournament taking place at the beginning of fall quarter for youth, intermediate, college and adults.
Oliveira is considering this upcoming tournament to be more of a “trial run” to help the program gain a better understanding of how it should be run, and what improvements can be made for a larger tournament in the fall. For the upcoming tournament on June 8th, admissions are $15 per player, and the winners of each bracket will receive a t-shirt from business sponsers.