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Shelter Island soccer tournament returns

COURTESY PHOTO Action at Fiske Field last year during the annual Shelter Island Challenge Cup soccer tournament.
COURTESY PHOTO
Action at Fiske Field last year during the annual Shelter Island Challenge Cup soccer tournament.

The Simon Gavron Challenge Cup, a soccer tournament sponsored by Sunset Beach Hotel and Restaurant to benefit the Shelter Island Lions Club, will be held two consecutive Mondays, August 15 and August 22, at Fiske Field.

The tournament features seven-a-side soccer games that include round robin and single elimination play. Each team must have seven players on the field including the goalie but may have up to four substitutes for a total of 11 players. Standard seven-a-side rules apply and information will be given prior to the start of the tournament to clarify any rules questions.

The 2016 Challenge Cup will host eight invited teams. On August 15, each team will play each other once in a 12-minute match to determine seeding for the second round on August 22. The second round will be the single elimination round where the top two teams advance to the semi-finals and the reaming six teams compete to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

To join, each team provided at $425 entry fee along with a full player roster. Tournament proceeds support Lions Club youth activities.

The name of the winning team is added to the Challenge Cup trophy and the players get a team dinner at Sunset Beach Restaurant, which also hosts a post-tournament celebration for all teams in the tournament.

Play starts promptly at 4:30 p.m. at Fiske Field.