The Eastside Football Club Girls 97 Blue soccer team, coached by Dan Bubar, recently laid down a challenge to the other teams in their club.

It wasn’t who could dribble the fastest, or who could score from the penalty spot, but something much better than that — to see which team could collect the most food for the Issaquah Valley Community Services.

The girls of 97 Blue made posters to promote the food drive and helped collect, sort and count the donated food items before and after practice for two weeks.

Over half a ton of food was collected by the whole club — 1,223 lbs, or 1,261 items.

Bubar’s team collected 667 of those items, and in so doing won the club challenge.

“It was great to have the girls involved in such a wonderful community service project,” said team manager Susan McGinnis. “They’re learning the importance of teamwork both on and off the field.”

Ty Good from the EFC Boys 97 White team made a donation of 160 items that he collected from his neighborhood — the largest donation made by a single player.