18 off to Guam for EAFF tourney

Named to the squad are Jhaneeka Atalig, Elaine Enriquez, Emily Maxberry, Michelle Masga, Carrie Schuler, Mikky Vargas, Marielle Gariguez, Jeraldine and Jeralyn Castillo, Megan Silberberger, Melody Johnson, Alexa Vergara, Diane Pablo, Thea Minor, Elizabeth Phan, Gabrielle Race, Krizelle Mae Tuazon, and Chevy Kate Alipio. Luam Khen Koo is the head coach with Wai Wo Lee assisting him, while Chi Ming Tang is the goalkeeper coach. Mae Angeline Ito is the team manager.

The CNMI Women’s National Team will be competing in the EAFF-sanctioned tournament in Guam against the host and Macau. The Commonwealth players will meet Guam in their first game this Sunday and Macau in the last match on July 24.

“We’re hoping to get a good start against Guam. We’re somehow familiar with their players, so we know what to expect from them. We learned Guam has some collegiate players coming in so we prepared for that,” Ito said in a telephone interview with Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The CNMI also has three off-island players—Maxberry, Silberberger, and Schuler—joining the team and though they arrived on Saipan less than two weeks ago, they are blending well with the rest of the squad.

“Carrie and Megan were with us during a similar EAFF tournament (EAFF Asian Cup 2013 Preliminary Competition Round 1) two years ago, so they are used to playing with most of the girls. Emily failed to join us in 2012, but when she arrived early this month, she hit it off right away with the girls and has been providing leadership to our young players,” the team manager added.

As for the players who remain on island, Ito said they continue training since the 2012 EAFF competition and the couple of off-island tournaments helped strengthen the squad and prepared them for the upcoming event in Guam.

“Our players went to Hong Kong and China this year and with those tough games, I hope the girls now know what it takes to play in a high-level of competition against Guam and Macau,” said Ito, who was part of the squad that beat Hong Kong’s U19 national team, 2-0, in an invitational tournament in May this year.

The team manager added that by playing in off-island tournaments and training regularly at the Oleai Sports Complex Field and Koblerville under the coaches from Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong, the CNMI players have developed speed and chemistry and are in better shape than the last time they participated in the EAFF event.

“I hope these developments will be enough to give us positive results in Guam,” said Ito.