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Captain Morgan’s tops season-ending football league
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Posted on Sep 02 2008
Captain Morgan’s capped its campaign in the 2008 NMIFA Fall Co-Ed Soccer League with a finals win against Greg & Mel’s Friends Sunday at the CPA Airport Field.
Sunday’s matches were part of the season-ending tournament in the fall league. It featured four other teams playing from 8am until late afternoon.
The top two teams after the morning match met in the championship game in the afternoon with Captain Morgan’s outclassing Greg and Mel’s Friends, 2-1.
CNMI National coach Nick Swaim and Nikki Gabaldon had one goal apiece for Captain Morgan’s, while Joe Miller scored the lone goal for GMF.
Joining Swaim and Gabaldon on the champion team were David Loan, Karen Klaver, Tiger Lee, Natalie Hill, Laura Williams, Caleb Arriola, Bruce Berline, Chris Nelson, Luca Knecht, Alen Mijares, Melodu Matson, Jaimi Saiki, Leana Loanne, and Bisho. Also on the team but did not play Sunday were Zach Posner, Lindsay Sosovic, Felicia McFarln, and Alla Tsareva.
In the battle for third place, Devil’s Advocates defeated Gil Fever, while Sureshanks claimed the fifth spot after downing the Deaniacs.
Over 70 players participated in the season-ending tournament, which gave more emphasis to the fun part of the sport than competition.
“The entire day was an embodiment of the “fun” aspect that the co-ed league represents,” said tournament coordinator Rio Sawhill. “Although there were some hard fouls during the day, almost everyone came away walking. The injuries that required someone to be carried off the field, both turned out okay.”
“One of the most enjoyable aspects of the co-ed league was seeing first-time players of all ages learn and improve their soccer skills over the past few months. People were playing at a totally different level than they were when our summer season began in June,” he added.
Sawhill thanked volunteers and referees for making the event possible, and for donating food and money for the all-day festivities
He made special mention of CNMI National Team member Peter Loken, who played in six matches on four different teams.
“If there had been trophies given out, we would have definitely honored him with one,” Sawhill said.
