17 players off to EAFF event

Exposure to off-island games continues for CNMI players, as Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will send a squad to South Korea to participate in the 2019 East Asian Football Federation U15 Girls Festival next month.

The CNMI U15 Girls National Team will leave Saipan this Friday for the EAFF-organized event that will run from Aug. 5 to 10 in Mokpo, a port city in the South Jeolla Province. The squad is made up players Pia Ngewakl, Christina Atalig, Julianne Hall, Rizza Relucio, Jannah Casarino, Summer Manahane, Andrei Kaithlyn Chavez, Marinel Falalimpa, Nathanette Blas, Stephanie Flores, Allyssya Angeles, Julie Ann Capayas, Sophia Quintos, Aubrey and Audrey Castro, Mary Joy Aniana and Paulynn Joyce, head coach Luem Khen Koo, manager Mae Ito, assistant manager Emma Lee, and physiotherapist Pam Carhill.

The Commonwealth players are in Group B of the festival and will be battling the representatives of Hong Kong, Guam, and Mongolia. Once they completed their pool assignments, the CNMI players will then challenge two squads from Group A, which has Asia’s top teams Japan, South Korea, China, and Chinese-Taipei.

Of the 17 players suiting up for the Commonwealth in next month’s event, half of them are first-timers in regional/international games. Some have played for the CNMI Women’s U19 National Team that won the Marianas Cup against Guam just a couple of weeks ago. Combining the newcomers and veterans for the EAFF event will ensure that both groups will gain valuable experience in South Korea and have the opportunity to improve their games.

“Coach Koo believes this is going to be a positive experience for all the girls. This will give players that are on the WNT (women’s national team) a chance to step up and lead the team. For the new players, this will give them the opportunity to understand that hard work must be done at every training session and match,” Ito said.

“Although it is a festival (no event winner will be named), this is an opportunity for the girls to see first hand how powerhouse squads like Japan, China, and South Korea play football,” the team manager added.

The festival in South Korea is just the third of a series of international events that the CNMI will be participating in this year. The first two were the Jockey Club Girls International Youth Invitational Football Tournament in Hong Kong in March and the Marianas Cup in Guam last July 20. In September, the Commonwealth will also play in the Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers in Jakarta, Indonesia, while in November, CNMI players will see action in the AFC U19 Championship 2020 Qualifiers in Cambodia.

Meanwhile, a send-off ceremony for the South Korea-bound team will be held today at 5pm at the Kanoa Resort.

Club officials and players and parents of team members are encouraged to attend the event to support the squad.

“Let us all show up to cheer our U15 girls national team for this challenging tournament, which will definitely provide them valuable experience for the coming AFC girls/women tournaments next year,” NMIFA generals secretary Ross Zapanta said.