Team NMI players pose for a photo with the championship trophy of the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Sunday.
IN a thrilling conclusion to a two-game match, the NMI Men’s National Team emerged victorious against Guam in a penalty shootout, 5-4, securing the championship of the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Sunday.
Before going to a penalty shootout, Guam found redemption in their second match against the NMI with a 2-0 victory. The NMI won game one with a similar score, 2-0.
In game two, Guam outshined the NMI in the first half of the game with constant offensive pressure.
As soon as the ball dropped, Guam established control of the pace and possession. After only three minutes of back-and-forth action, they found themselves deep within enemy territory where it only took two short passes to find Guam’s Curtis Harmon to fire and connect the opening goal for the lead, 1-0.
The NMI’s Andrew Sablan slides to deny an entry pass from Guam during the second match of the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Sunday.
Although the NMI did not let the early goal affect their performance, they failed to equalize while Guam stayed calm and picked their time to attack wisely.
During the three minutes of added time, Guam created several shot attempts, which eventually led to a corner kick that Landon Diaz followed with a well-placed header to catch the NMI defenders off guard and extend the deficit, 2-0, going into the halftime break.
The match became more of a challenge for both teams as heavy rain added a dramatic flair to the second half, even forcing a pause at one point.
When the game resumed, the NMI continued their attempt at a comeback using lob and long passes to stay ahead of defenders while Guam focused on protecting their end of the turf with great defensive coverage to keep the home team at bay and secure the win, 2-0.
Because both teams’ aggregate score was 2-2, they had to play an extra 30 minutes to break the time. But neither team was able to score, and so a penalty kick shootout decided the championship.
Both teams excelled in the penalty conversion but the NMI’s goalkeeper, Mark Chavez, denied Guam’s second attempt while the NMI’s Andrew Sablan connected the final goal to secure the win for the home team, 5-4, and the Marianas Cup.
