Devil's advocate (my favorite game):
If the vast majority of high school games in SC are played on fields the size of Gilbert's, and only a few teams in the state have had regular opportunities to play on larger fields (which lends the opportunity to master the use of increased space--something not every team has a chance to develop in the course of the season due to prevalant field sizes), wouldn't it be safe to say that having a LARGER than average field would provide a more unequal competitive advantage to any team fortunate enough to train and play on that size field regularly, whereas having an average-sized field keeps things more equal since almost everyone has had to learn to compete in that type of space?
It seems to me that if anything would be cited as a "factor" in deciding a match, it would be a field size that would be advantageous to an experienced few, but disadvantageous to a majority who are inexperienced in managing that kind of space.
Just thinkin' out loud. I agree that soccer should have a fine playing surface for a state championship...just addressing the "factor in the game" issue.
