Kanoa, Tan Holdings notch U17 soccer titles

THE Kanoa and Tan Holdings football clubs shared the spotlight on Saturday by winning the U17 boys and girls division titles of the TakeCare Youth Soccer League at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. Kanoa claimed the girls U17 division title after blanking the Southern United Football Club, 6-0, while Tan Holdings took home the boys division title by silencing the boys of Kanoa, 3-0. In the girls division title match, Kanoa quickly set the tone as soon as they took hold of the possession. Kaithlyn Chavez constantly punished defenders with her speed, slipping through the cracks to connect two consecutive goals at the 3rd and 5th minute marks. Four minutes later, team mate Aubrey Castro scored her first goal of the night to further extend the lead, 3-0. Southern United managed to stop the bleeding for the remainder of the first half, but Kanoa resumed their dominance in the second half. With all eyes on Chavez, the rest of the team found opportunities to strike with Mia Abuan delivering Kanoa’s fourth goal at the 34th minute mark. SUFC tried to catch up, but to no avail. Toward the end of the game, Kanoa’s Castro fired another goal while Aubrey White plunged the dagger at the 59th minute mark to seal the deal and claim the championship title, 6-0.

Boys division Tan Holdings bagged the boys title by outplaying Kanoa, 3-0. Both teams had their fair share of attempts, but Tan Holdings controlled most of the possessions and eventually overwhelmed Kanoa’s defenses by creating an opening for Isiah Hossain to connect at the 12th minute mark for a 1-0 lead. Hossain found the back of the net again at the 39th minute mark to push a comfortable 2-0 lead. The second half became more intense as Kanoa stepped up their game. However, they failed to penetrate and left their weakside unguarded, allowing Tan Holdings’ Anthony Austria to sneak past and drain a goal at the 49th minute mark for a 3-0 victory.

Published by Saipan Tribune - May 21, 2023