PORT ANGELES — Dan Wilder Sr. fought back tears while talking about his friend Wally Sigmar.
Peninsula College’s fourth president was not present on a gray Saturday afternoon at a special rededication of newly renovated Sigmar Field.
But given what Sigmar meant to the proceedings — it was he, after all, who brought athletics back to the school and had the field posthumously named in his honor in 2000 — it was impossible not to feel his impact.
“As I’ve been through life, I’ve met a lot of good men, but not a lot of great men,” Wilder, a Port Angeles auto dealer and former Peninsula College Board of Trustees chair, told the crowd at Saturday. “Wally was one of those great men.”
Wilder and current president Tom Keegan, the keynote speaker at the rededication, each credited Sigmar with beginning the transformation that turned Peninsula College into what it is today.
Yet surely, even Sigmar would have been surprised to see what his athletic creation had become 11 years after he passed away in June of 2000.
Not only was the school officially re-dedicating its new $1.4 million state-of-the-art artificial turf field during a Pirates soccer doubleheader against Whatcom, but standing on it were two of the premiere programs in the NWAACC.
On one side were the eighth-ranked Pirate women, fresh off their fifth shutout victory in six matches thanks to a 4-0 triumph over the Orcas.
On the other were the top-ranked men, moments away from another display of offensive brilliance in a 5-0 win of their own.
And gathered in front of them were scores of youth soccer players, community members and friends and family of the since-passed college president.
That included Sigmar’s widow, Jean Sigmar, and her boys, Erik and John.
“This is unbelievable,” said Jean, whose husband also coached soccer for several years at Skagit Valley Community College.
“I think [Wally] would be very honored. It’s quite a tribute to have such a beautiful facility, and he was all about connecting with other people. This certainly is a place where people can be connected.”
That was most assuredly the case Saturday.
With hundreds on hand for the re-dedication, the men’s and women’s teams played in front of their largest crowds of the season.
The women (5-1-0 in West Division, 6-2-2 overall) delivered three late goals to secure another gritty defensive victory.
Meanwhile, the men (5-0-0, 11-0-0) provided a whole lot of flash during a four-goal first half on the way to their 11th straight win to begin the season.
“We did mention to them and say, ‘Hey, let’s make it a show,’” Pirate men’s coach Andrew Chapman said.
“We did tell them that there’s some fans here and some people here, it means a lot of things to them, so let’s go out and give them something to watch.”
Forwards Miguel Gonzalez and Dean Gaynor didn’t disappoint, with each scoring two exquisite breakaway goals that had some grade schoolers in the audience speculating who’s autograph they wanted.
Gaynor added a pair of assists, while Gonzalez had an assist to go along with his 19th and 20th goals of the season, which furthered his single-season and career scoring (35) Pirate records.
Miguel’s brother, Daniel Gonzalez, had an electrifying goal of his own in the 15th minute.
The freshman midfielder, who also had an assist, took a flick on pass from Miguel, then weaved past two defenders before blasting the ball into the net for a 1-0 Pirates lead.
“We looked really good, really dangerous,” Chapman said.
“We moved the ball well, a lot of combination play, a lot of one-touch stuff. It was just nice, crafty soccer.”
The women weren’t as explosive but were just as effective in getting their 4-0 win over the Orcas.
Krystal Daniels had her fifth shutout of the season in goal, and the Pirates got goals from Ashlyn Frizzelle, Jackie Rodgers, Carolina Flores and Shelby Solomon.
The last three all came in the final 10 minutes of the match.
“They got tired,” Pirate women’s coach Kanyon Anderson said of the Orcas.
“We were able to just play faster than they wanted to, I think, for 90 minutes.”
Women
Peninsula 4, Whatcom 0
Whatcom 0 0 — 0
Peninsula 1 3 — 4
Scoring Summary
First half: 1, Peninsula, Frizzelle (Bullington), 37th.
Second Half: 2, Peninsula, J. Rodgers (PK), 83rd; 3, Peninsula, Flores (Miner), 84th; 4, Peninsula, Solomon (Flores), 90th.
Men
Peninsula 5, Whatcom 0
Whatcom 0 0 — 0
Peninsula 4 1 — 5
Scoring Summary
First half: 1, Peninsula, D. Gonzalez (M. Gonzalez), 15th; 2, Peninsula, Gaynor (D. Gonzalez), 30th; 3, Peninsula, M. Gonzalez (Gaynor), 33rd; 4, Peninsula, M. Gonzalez (Gaynor), 36th.
Second Half: 5, Peninsula, Gaynor (Ambrocio), 53rd.
