"In the first game, not knowing what it was going to be like, it was rather a disappointment because the opponents were nowhere near our level," said Stewart.

She said her toughest task was trying to challenge the girls to continue to push hard and not have any letdowns against teams of a lower level. The team rose to the challenge, she said.

"By the end of the tournament, one of the requests that I made to the girls was -- because it's their last game and we're leaving that night and they did an extremely good job -- I asked them to go out with a bang and play the best game that they can play," Stewart said.

"From my point and along with the insight from (head) coach (Sang Hon) Kim, the girls went out and played a phenomenal game."

Amy Atkinson, a junior from George Washington High School, agreed. "I thought it was going to be a little more competitive, but it was still good because we were able to work on a lot of things that Coach Kim was teaching us and it turned out well," said Atkinson.

"Sometimes when teams play a team that is at a lower level you kind of sink down to that level, but our team worked on our passing and all of our plays and we played very, very well," she added.

Stewart said that the team used the tournament as an opportunity to work on certain aspects of the game.

"We were able to work on our formations and shape on the field," said Stewart. "We looked at it as a great playing opportunity for us to open up our game. It gave us a chance to think out on the field, and when the pressure did come on, it was an opportunity for the players to test their decision-making."

Middle school all-star Joi Abarintos, 13, felt the tournament was successful in building teamwork with the players on and off the field.

"Overall, I think our team did really good because we found that the teams were really easy to play so during the games we just worked on our technique and movement," said Abarintos, who played on the under-17 team. "We had some time to go to the mall during our break after the games and we just hung out with each other and I really got to know the team a lot -- they were like older sisters to me throughout the whole tournament."

"I love playing with the girls on that team. All of them are really good soccer players and this trip was really good because the team chemistry was the best out of any team that I've been on," said Atkinson.

The success that the U17 team had was mirrored by the under-15 team that also went undefeated in six games, averaging four goals a match and allowing only one throughout the trip.

"We now know what we need to work on with the under-15 girls. They had a lot of fun and they played hard. I know they're looking forward to their next trip," said Stewart.

Stewart said Guam's junior teams continue to practice at the Harmon soccer field. Any players interested in training can check out the Guam Football Association Web site at www.guamfootball.com or e-mail her at cstewart@guamfootball.com.