WSR wins 2016 NEA Cup

William S. Reyes Elementary players and their coach Tadaomi Yasuda pose with their trophy after ruling the 2016 NEA Cup held last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

William S. Reyes Elementary School edged Team Private Schools in the finals, 3-2, to top the 2016 National Elite Academy Cup held last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field.

Lowell Lumauag made the dagger for WSR, as he scored on a cross with about two minutes left in the title match. The go-ahead goal was Lumauag’s second, while Anthony Bergancia scored the other goal for the Kingfishers. Completing the champion team were Sophia Quintos, Code Forbes, Markus Pelisamen, R.J. Langu, E.J. Lisua, and Mary Joy Aniana. Tadaomi Yasuda of Saipan Football Business Academy coached WSR.

“WSR players worked very hard in this tournament. They were very good in transition and used their speed very well. They were also so focused in every match,” Yasuda said.

Yasuda’s wards moved into the finals after beating Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School in the semis, 4-1. Team Private Schools, which was mentored by Jershwin Angeles, downed Garapan Elementary School in the other Final Four pairing, 3-1.

WSR and Private Schools advanced to the semis after topping the round-robin elimination in their respective age groups, while GTC and Garapan followed suit as they came in at second place.

The Kingfishers ruled Pool A after gaining a perfect 3-0-0 win-draw-loss record. They collected 16 goals and gave up none in the preliminary matches. Garapan finished with a 2-0-1, making nine goals and giving up three. Koblerville Elementary School was ranked third with its 1-0-2 slate, seven goals for and nine against, while Kagman Elementary School placed last after failing to win a single game in the elimination.

In Pool B, Team Private Schools matched WSR’s clean record, posting nine goals and yielding two. GTC had a 2-0-1 card and six goals, while Oleai Elementary School missed the cut following its 1-0-2 mark. San Vicente Elementary School rounded out the pool and was winless in the round-robin play.

Meanwhile, WSR received a trophy for winning this year’s NEA Cup, which was the culmination of the two month-long program under Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. NMIFA and its coaching staff went to the various schools on Saipan to recruit players in the fourth and fifth grade and those selected were trained for weeks. Saipan Football Business Academy, which brings its people to Saipan to study soccer coaching and training, helped out in honing the skills of the chosen players.

After their training sessions, the participating teams competed for the NEA Cup and the coaches selected the most valuable players from each school based on their overall performance in training and in the tournament.

The MVPs list includes Koblerville’s Teddy Brobesong, Oleai’s Javen Montenegro, Garapan’s P.J. Pangilinan, GTC’s Reed Camacho, Private School’s Markus Toves, and WSR’s Bergancia.