Close to 400 expected for 2020 Sugar and Spice tourney

[March 6, 2020 – Harmon, Guam] A total of 16 middle school girls soccer teams will face off Sunday to be crowned champions of the 13^th Annual Sugar and Spice Middle School Girls Soccer Festival at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

“I believe this is the largest number of schools competing in the tournament to date, and we’ve had to reserve the entire GFA National Training Center to accommodate all matches,” said Samuel San Gil, GFA Competitions Director. “We’ve assigned round robin matches on both full size pitches – UA-1 and UA-2 – as well as the mini pitch UA-3. This year, matches also will be played in the Robbie Webber grass pitch.

“I’m very pleased to see this turn out and hope the popularity of the tournament continues to grow. I wish the teams all the best in the tournament,” San Gil added.

For the 2020 tournament, supported by Japan Football Association, the 16 participating schools were divided into four pools, with each pool playing round robin matches. Top teams from each pool will enter the tournament’s semifinal round with the winners moving on to the championship match scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.

Pool A features defending champions Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School, St. Anthony Catholic School, Agueda I. Johnston Middle School, and CDR William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School.

Pool B features Andersen Middle School, Bishop Baumgartner Catholic Memorial School, F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School, and Guahan Academy Charter School.

Pool C features Oceanview Middle School, Luis P. Untalan Middle School, St. Paul Christian School, and St. Francis School.

Pool D features St. John’s School, Inarajan Middle School, Astumbo Middle School, and SIFA Learning Academy Charter School.

The tournament will be played concurrently with Guam’s celebration of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Football Day. In addition to the Sugar and Spice tournament, matches from both the Premier and Amateur Divisions of the Bud Light Women’s Soccer League will be played.

“The AFC is the only Confederation which dedicates a single day to all women who have contributed their time, knowledge and expertise towards football which goes a long way in helping the AFC achieve its Vision and Mission,” said AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. This is a small gesture to show our gratitude for their enormous contribution towards the success and immense growth of the sport on all levels across Asia.”

Close to 400 players are expected to play in this year’s edition of the Sugar and Spice tournament. After the festival, beginning at 3:30 p.m., more than 200 women will play their Bud Light Women’s Soccer League matches.

The community is invited to watch festival and league matches at GFA. To view or download the Sugar and Spice tournament schedule, visit https://guamfa.com/gfa-programs/others/interscholastics/schedules-and-results/