Hopwood’s Yelynn Ha and SIS’s Addalee Taflinger battle for the possession during the girls middle school division championship of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Thursday.
Hopwood’s Alyza De Belen intercepts the possession with a header during the girls middle school division championship of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Thursday.
HOPWOOD Middle School bagged this year’s girls middle school division title of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League SY23-24 by edging Saipan International School in a shootout, 0-0 (7-6), at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Thursday.
Both teams were evenly matched and neither could score, so the game went to an overtime shootout.
SIS’s Beatrice Gross and Addalee Taflinger scored in their first two attempts, but so did Hopwood’s Yelynn Ha and Alyssa Borlangan to even the score, 2-2.
Hopwood missed their third attempt while SIS’s Miley Mafnas and Aubrey White delivered.
However, the tables turned as SIS missed their fifth attempt while Hopwood’s Fracheska Ferrer and Angel Calayag delivered to tie the score once again, 4-4.
SIS scored two more goals thanks to Scarlett Loken and Anne Lee, but so did Hopwoods’s Vanessa Bayog and Alyza De Belen for a 6-6 tie.
SIS then failed to find the back of the net while Hopwood’s Ma. Roxlyn Ferrer connected the final goal needed to grasp victory, 7-6, as well as the championship.
Ferrer not only provided the game-winning goal, she also made a crucial save during the shootout.
3rd place
In the battle for third place, Francisco M. Sablan Middle School triumphed over Dandan Middle School, 3-1.
FMS started strong to gain a slight edge. After five minutes of pressure play, FMS penetrated DMS’s defensive wall and set up Briannie Echalico, who found the back of the net to give his team the lead, 1-0.
FMS extended the deficit with Mickeanna Nishimura scoring at the 35th minute mark of the second half, but DMS’s Elikristiana Iglecias scored to make it 1-2.
FMS’s Selena Atalig then scored at the 50th minute mark to secure the win, 3-1.
