Soccer tournament kicks off: Finals Monday
Ryan Golden of Binder Pools, left, and J.P. Ahoua of SG United, competing Monday at Fiske Field.
The 12th annual Challenge Cup kicked off this week with eight teams vying for the coveted Simon Gavron trophy in a tightly contested seven to a side soccer match.
Locally sponsored teams from Sunset Beach, Binder Pools, Wooden House, Elli’s Country Store and SG United all converged on Fiske Field for a very competitive round robin seeding draw. The tournament also drew several teams from East Hampton, including Bill Miller & Assoc., Bateman Painting and B & R. Each team played against each other in a short, 12-minute game.
The format provides a sneak peak at which teams have the cohesion and the skill to be victorious and gain preferential seeding for the second round single elimination that begins next Monday, August 18 at 5 p.m. at Fiske Field.
As darkness fell on a beautiful August evening, two teams rose to the top to achieve the first and second spots in the draw and obtain a two-round bye into the semifinals. SG United, sponsored by Ron and Ron Ltd. finished with the top seeded spot by a single point margin over Bill Miller Assoc., the 2012 champion, which ended the evening as the second seed for Monday’s round.
SG United only had one loss in the seven games of round-robin play but that loss was to the third seed and last year’s champion, B & R. This highly contested round robin play should make the single elimination round very intense with several teams having a chance to finish on top.
Rounding out the first week of play was Wooden House in fourth, Binder Pools in fifth, Sunset Beach in sixth, Elli’s Country Store in seventh and Bateman Painting eighth.
The Challenge Cup soccer trophy is named in memory of a great friend of the sport, Simon Gavron, who passed away unexpectedly in the spring of 2005. Simon Gavron will always be remembered for his warm, caring personality and his great enthusiasm for soccer and youth development on Shelter Island. The Shelter Island Lions Club nets approximately $2,000 from this tournament and uses the money to support youth athletics and community needs.
Single elimination play begins next Monday, August 18 at 5 p.m. and should follow the strong tradition of quality summer soccer on Shelter Island. Please come down and support the Shelter Island Lions Club while watching a great summer event.
