Anthony Morales of team Faber Homes scores on the Women’s Club Soccer team during the Global Union Grassroots Soccer Tournament.
Josh Barber

Starting around 10 a.m. Saturday, April 28, teams from RIT and the Rochester area arrived at the varsity practice fields for the annual Grassroots Soccer 3 versus 3 Tournament. Warming up on the 20- by 30-yard micro fields arranged for the tourney, each team had different motives for entering. Some only vied for the $300 cash prize awarded to the victor; others registered for the challenge and opportunity to face off against players of a higher skill level. With these goals in mind, the teams stretched and practiced, waiting for the tournament to begin.

Global Union, RIT’s Major Student Organization for international students, has planned and organized the Grassroots Soccer Tournament for the past three years, according to Director of Programming Christina Basileo. A fourth year International Business and Marketing major, Basileo said that the event has been in the planning stages since winter quarter. “We started planning in February,” said Basileo. “We’ve been contacting sponsors for the past three months to help donate to the event.”

After warming up, each team headed to one of the tournament’s nine miniature fields to begin playing. The games, which lasted 15 minutes each, were separated into three separate types of play, starting with three preliminary rounds. These were followed by a two-match quarterfinal, with the tournament wrapping up in a climactic final match. Any of the top four teams were eligible to go to the Challenge Sports 3 versus 3 National Championship held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, at Walt Disney World Resort, this August.

Stepping onto the field for their first game, the Women’s Club Soccer team was matched up with last year’s defending champions, team Off In A Corner. Many teams were having difficulty adjusting to the smaller space. “It’s a small field and it’s difficult to keep in control” said third year International Studies student and Women’s Club player, Kate Macken. Macken and her fellow teammates were not shaken by the loss. “We just came here to have fun and represent Women’s Soccer,” said Macken. “We’re having fun and that’s all that matters.” Although the team had not heard of the tournament previously, Macken said it was “an interesting organization with a good cause.”

Teams compete during the first round of the Global Union’s Grassroots Soccer Tournament. Sixteen teams played simultaneously during the first three rounds of competition.
Josh Barber

Although a majority of the teams were from the RIT community, the tournament was open to everyone, including team Faber Homes. Sponsored by a local funeral home of the same name, the youth team regularly plays in the Flower City Soccer league. Coach Anthony Morales, an electrician from the Henrietta area, found out about the tournament while working on campus. “I came to work in one of these buildings on Monday and saw a flier,” said Morales.

On the team were two of Morales’ sons, Steven and Anthony Morales. Steven, a high school junior, was glad to have had the chance to play in the tournament. “It’s a chance to get better and play some college people,” he said. Although many teams that day were struggling with the enclosed nature of the fields, Steven said that the team usually played indoor soccer and did not have too many problems playing.

Anthony Morales, a high school senior who hopes to play soccer at the college level next year, also relished the opportunity to compete against college players. The team was rounded out by Larsen Lindor, a first year student at MCC. This tournament was his first time playing on the Faber Homes team, having been practicing with the team for the past two months.

After hours of competition, the final match began. An incredibly close match, team Habeteen was able to make a winning goal in the last five minutes of the game, winning against the Cunning Stunts 3-2.

The winning team of (left to right) Ameen Almoqhim, Hamdi Alotaibi, and Ali Alghamdi, poses with their championship trophy.
Josh Barber

Ameen Almoqhim, a Networking and Systems Administration graduate student, was a member of team Habeteen. Almoqhim said that the team began the tournament with only two players, with their third player late and their captain missing from the whole tournament. “He was at a party last night and overslept,” said Almoqhim. It wasn’t until 2 p.m. that the team received a call from the captain, explaining the situation.

Habeteen player Ali Alghamdi, a student at RIT’s English Language Center, was late for similar reasons but quickly made up for it, helping propel the team into the finals and finally into the winner’s circle. Having studied English for the past six months, Alghamdi is planning to enroll in the Computer Science program later this year.

In the end, the real winners were Grassroots Soccer and the Global Union staff who planned the tournament. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Grassroots Soccer Organization. Founded in 2002, the charity focuses on raising HIV awareness by using soccer as a motivational tool. By using professional soccer players and peer mentors as role models, the organization has educated youth between the ages of 12 and 18 about HIV. They have programs in the U.S., South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Fourth year Management Information Systems student Darshan Doshi, vice president of Global Union, said that the main goal of the event was to let players who had a passion for soccer help to spread awareness of HIV by supporting Grassroots Soccer. “The main reason [HIV] is spreading is because [people] don’t know about it,” said Doshi. “It’s really difficult to [raise awareness] as a person, but when you come together, it’s easy.”