Saipan Elite scores most goals

Saipan Elite’s Rohan Basnet, rights, battles a 4Gives player for possession during their preliminary round game in the Saipan Soccer School’s 2017 Youth Summer Futsal Tournament last week at the TSL Sports Complex. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Saipan Elite’s offensive firepower was in full display in Saipan Soccer School’s 2017 Youth Summer Futsal Tournament, as it registered the most goals in all three divisions of the competition.

Saipan Elite collected 60 goals in six games and also yielded the least (17) in the boys U16 division to finish on top of the team standings (5-1-0 win-draw-loss record) and get the No. 1 seeding in the playoffs. The squad went on to advance to the finals after dominating HK SSS in their semifinal match yesterday (see related story). Merrick Toves, Kohatro Goto, Oliver Fajardo, Rohan Basnet, Jaydee Jose, Jeremiah Diaz, Rintaro Miyawaki, Danny Matsunaga, and Oliver Lee are the members of the team and majority of them are known scorers in their respective clubs so their strong offensive showing in the tournament is no longer surprising. At least four players from Saipan Elite hit the board in each of the team’s six games in the double-round robin preliminaries.

4Gives, Saipan Elite’s fiercest rival for the division championship, was ranked second in the most goals scored with 55 and allowed 24. 4Gives added 12 to its total after shutting down HK SSS in their final preliminary game last Tuesday. After failing to score in its last match, HK SSS was left with 15 goals and yielded 63. NMI U16 gained 23 goals and gave up 61.

In the co-ed U12 division, SSS topped the list with its 43 goals, getting seven more after beating Kanoa Football Club 1 yesterday. Sean Gil and Richard Castro delivered two goals apiece for SSS, while Garrett Weaver, Cody Shimizu, and Audrey Castro contributed one.

Joemil Antonio had a hat trick for Kanoa FC 1, while Jim Maniago and Daniel Mar Pablo added one each. Kanoa 1 is out of contention for the division title as it lost five games and drew one, leaving SSS and Kanoa FC 2 to fight for the championship tomorrow. Kanoa FC 1 finished the elimination with a 3-1-2 record and logged 32 goals while giving up 29.

In the girls U17 division, Hakone FC scored the most goals with 37 and was followed by F. Marinos (25), Isamu United (13), and Marianas Health Armada (11). F. Marinos was the only team in the entire tournament to limit its opponents to single digits in goals scored with eight, thanks to the steady defense of goalie Carla Ballesteros.