GTC, KES take DFS tourney

The boys and girls of Koblerville and Gregory T. Camacho elementary schools became the respective kings and queens of the classes as they won the championships of the DFS All Schools Soccer Tournament at the Garapan Elementary School pitch on Saturday afternoon.

The preliminary games got started bright and early but the final rounds took place under the blazing sun as GTC challenged the Garapan girls on their home field.

Despite two exciting halves and playing a five-minute sudden death overtime period, neither of the teams was able to score in the girls finals, forcing a five-player shootout on the southern net.

Karmina Jack, Ashley Torres, and C.J. Castro came through in the clutch for GTC by scoring goals in the shootout, but Castro came up with the big save on the final shot that got her team the win.

A smiling Castro said that she felt good about her performance on the field and said that she was going to continue playing soccer. Her friends echoed the same sentiments and said that they plan to come back next year for more.

There was plenty of intensity on the boys’ side as well. Even before the game began, the green and yellow-clad boys from Kobler showed off their will to win by knocking out pushups on the field in front of the competition. They could have used the extra energy early as the Terns were all over their public school counterparts early on.

It didn’t take long before Whispering Palms took a 1-0 lead when Ryan Baron set his teammates and into a frenzy with the game’s first goal, and the Terns looked to be in complete control of the contest.

There was more of the same action in the second half but Koblerville managed to spend more time in the attacking zone and tied the game with time running out as Jetno Kileleman introduced leather to mesh.

After neither team managed a goal in the five-minute overtime session, the players relived the drama from the previous match as five strikers from each side lined up to take their shots.

Baron’s shot went awry and R.J. Knecht’s blast caromed off of the post for Whispering Palms, but Kileleman, Jeff Lizama, and Mark Villonves scored three goals on three shots to cement the Umang victory.

Aside from trophies and playground bragging rights, each of the winning teams took home five soccer balls courtesy of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, but all of the competitors got an opportunity to take center stage in the world’s most popular sport.