Borja commits to new collegiate team

Many-time national player Guine Borja will continue her collegiate soccer career after committing to the Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

With the OPSU, Borja will now be competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The 21-year-old completed her two seasons with the Navarro College in the National Junior College Athletic Association before jumping to the NAIA where her new squad is grouped under Sooner Athletics Conference with nine other teams. The NAIA is an athletics association for colleges and universities in North America and has 249 member institutions, while the NJCAA has more members at more than 500, but schools under it only offer two-year courses.

Borja is moving to the OPSU Aggies after an eventful last season with Navarro College that saw her play in the NJCAA Division I National Championships last month. The Bulldogs advanced to the nationals after posting a 12-5-2 win-loss-draw record. Borja saw action in all the two games of Navarro College in the Nationals. The Bulldogs, however, were eliminated after setting for draws against Seminole State College (0-0) and Snow College (2-2).

The NMI player is thankful to Navarro College, her teammates, and their coaches for having the opportunity to play in the collegiate ranks in her first two years of being away from Saipan and for the chance to continue to improve her skills. She added that he is excited for what’s ahead of her as she suits up for the Aggies.

“I am extremely grateful to be continuing my soccer career along with my educational goals. I am excited to be in a new atmosphere with an amazing program and coach,” Borja said.

The proud product of the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association’s grassroots program will be coached by Josh Davis, who took the reigns at the OPSU this year after serving as associate head coach at the University of North Dakota in the NCAA Division I.

Before moving to the Aggies, Borja—a member of Paire Football Club’s youth and women’s teams— played 27 games with Navarro College and scored two goals in her last finals six games with the Bulldogs. With the NMI, Borja played for the youth and women’s national teams that competed in the East Asian Football Federation and Asian Football Confederation-sanctioned tournaments. She last donned the Commonwealth colors in July 2019, scoring one goal in the CNMI’s 3-0 victory against Guam in the Marianas Cup.

Published by Saipan Tribune - Dec 20 2021