Sororities Gamma Phi Omega and Sigma Lambda Gamma collaborated to bring the sixth annual Score-for-a-Cause soccer tournament to NEIU on Nov. 15.

Participants paid $25 per team to register and teams were limited to five players. Admission was $2 per person. All of the proceeds went towards the American Diabetes Association, which is the main philanthropic organization that Gamma Phi Omega works with, according to Jannedh Lema, a member of Gamma Phi Omega and one of the event’s main organizers.

“We try to raise money for the American Diabetes Association at least three times per year,” Lema said.

The tournament was open to everyone, not just NEIU students. Four out of the eight teams that participated were composed of non-NEIU students.

The games were competitive, but friendly. Two NEIU teams made it to the finals round, though none of them competed for first place.

The first place game was a highly-contested battle between outsiders Los Arabes and Las Hermosas. Los Arabes featured two NEIU alumni, Yazan Bata and Steve Ortiz.

Los Arabes were the favorites coming into the game, having swept the competition in the opening rounds. Their team was well-balanced with technically-gifted footballers. Las Hermosas didn’t quite have the same standard of players, but managed to more than hold their own in the opening rounds.

It was Las Hermosas who opened the score and never looked back. They left as winners of the tournament, much to the dismay and frustration of Los Arabes, who could never get a consistent rhythm during the game.

The tournament was an overall success. Lema said that the goal was to raise over $200, which they managed to do.