The Marianas High School team members pose with the girls high school division championship trophy during the awards ceremony of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League Thursday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
Marianas High School’s Jannah Casarino controls the possession against Saipan International School during the championship game Thursday in the girls high school division of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
MARIANAS High School clinched the 2022-2023 girls high school division title of the NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League by defeating Saipan International School, 2-0, Thursday at the NMI Soccer Training Center.
The MHS lady Dolphins were unmatched when it came to teamwork as they played to their strength and focused on shutting down SIS’ main scorer, Kaithlyn Chavez, by building a wall strong enough to withstand her relentless assault.
It was a back-and-forth battle, but after 33 minutes of play, MHS’ Jannah Casarino connected the first shot of the day for a 1-0 lead.
The MHS lady Dolphins were still in the driver’s seat during the second half as they prevented the SIS lady Geckos from building momentum by quickly forcing the ball out of bounds and resetting plays while gradually working their way down the enemy lines.
At the 49th minute mark, MHS slipped through led by Casarino who found Allyssya Angeles a few inches off the goal line where she connected the quick shot, extending the lead, 2-0, with less than two minutes left on the clock.
With not enough time to catch up, SIS had to settle for defeat, but its key player, Kaithlyn Chavez, won the Golden Boot Award with a total of 15 goals. The MVP award was claimed by MHS goalkeeper Erish Carreon who was a major contributor to her team’s success with several successful blocks.
“It was nerve-racking,” said MHS librarian and coach Natalie Hill-Beyer said, referring to the game. “We decided to go with a different format. It was a little bit of a risk because we have not played this format in the regular season. Our strategy was to shut down SIS’s goal maker [Kaithlyn Chavez] — she’s a phenomenal soccer player.”
As for their goalie, Eish Carreon, the MHS coach said: “I’m so excited whenever she touched the ball. She had great saves and great positioning. It’s funny because she had to be pressured to play this season but then she changed her mind, and I was so glad she decided to play with us.”
Hill-Beyer and Gabby Race, MHS counselor, have been coaching the team for the past two years.
