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Griffin gives Blue Ayuyus second goal; women’s national team done
The CNMI Women’s National Team’s Jeralyn Castillo tries to keep the ball away from a Macau defender during their game in the EAFF E-1 Football Championships 2017 Round 1 last Friday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in Dededo. (Guam Football Association)
Forward Michah Griffin registered the CNMI Men’s National Team’s second goal in the Blue Ayuyus 1-3 loss to Macau in the EAFF E-1 Football Championships 2017 Round 1 game last Saturday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in Dededo.
Griffin made it to the board in the 11th minute with his penalty kick tying the game in the first half. Macau earlier drew a goal from Lam Ka Seng in the ninth minute to take the driver’s seat. Lam had another goal in the 94th minute, while Filipe Miguel Cordeiro Duarte recorded the other goal for Macau.
Griffin was part of the Blue Ayuyus’ starting unit, joining captain and goalie Johann Noetzel, Kenndy Izuka, Kirk Schuler, Nick Swaim, Jonathan Takano, Joel Fruit, Jehn Joyner, Darin Kaizer, Trey Dunn, and James Ermitanio. Evan Belcher, Hunter Jewell, and Allan Hinson were the substitutes.
With the defeat, the CNMI dropped to a 0-0-2 win-draw-loss record and is out of contention in the four-nation competition. The Blue Ayuyus first bowed to Chinese-Taipei, 1-8, last Thursday, and will close out their campaign in the East Asian Football Federation-sanctioned tournament today when they face Mongolia at 2:30pm.
Chinese-Taipei and Macau will play in the last match of the tournament at 5pm with the Taiwanese win giving them the slot to the event’s second round to be played this November. Chinese-Taipei, going into today’s game holds a 2-0-0 record as it also downed Mongolia, 2-0, last Saturday. Mongolia owns a 0-1-1 slate as it had a 2-2 draw against Macau (1-1-0) during the tournament’s opener last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the CNMI’s women’s team is done in its separate competition following a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Guam yesterday .
Guam secured a ticket to Round 2 as it finished the tournament with a perfect 2-0-0 record. The host earlier topped Macau in similar scores last Friday.
The Commonwealth’s female strikers faced Macau last Saturday and were held to a scoreless draw. The CNMI had a chance to score and win against Macau, but Diane Pablo muffed a penalty kick with the ball hitting the post.
