The NMI men’s team clinched the championship once again in this year’s edition of the Marianas Football Cup after a dramatic finish via a tie-breaking shootout in their last matchup against Guam during a torrential downpour last August at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
The NMI and Guam men’s U20 national teams played two matches with the home team taking Game 1, 2-0. In Game 2, Guam rebounded and won, also 2-0, to tie the tourney up with three points each. Since they were both tied with two goals apiece, they had to play an extra 30 minutes in their last match, but no one scored, so they had to break up the tie again via a shootout of penalty kicks.
In last year’s Marianas Cup, the NMI men’s U23 team clinched the title over Guam after they won with an aggregate score of 3-1 over two games. Guam took Game 1, 1-0, but the NMI won big, 3-0, in Game 2 for its first Marianas Cup men’s title since its debut in 2007.
Published by Saipan Tribune – Aug 6, 2024