Napu Riders glide to MS girls soccer victory

Francisco M. Sablan Middle School Napu Riders glided to victory over Chacha Ocean View Middle School, 2-1 in the girls middle school 2022-2023 NMIFA-PSS Interscholastic Soccer League last Thursday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

From the starting whistle, the Napu Riders had a handle on the ball and Jadine Higgins capitalized for an early goal 2 minutes in. Teammate Brianni Echalico rode on the waves of her momentum as she scored a goal 8 minutes later for an early 2-0 lead.

It was all quiet in the Lancheru’s front as they had yet to reap what they were trying to sow. Then, when it seemed like they would be farming goose eggs, Mya Abraham put one goal up on the board in the 23rd minute.

However, the crop season dried up as the Lancherus could not bear any more fruit and got the L.

In the first game of the afternoon, a battle of lizards ensued as Hopwood Middle School Hilitais and Saipan International School Geckos took to the pitch.

The game ended in a stalemate as both the Hilitais and Geckos could score one more goal, for a final of 1-1.

Anne Lee of the Geckos drew first blood and scored in the 27th minute. Silence reigned as both teams tried to regain their footing for more goals, but the defense on both sides were impenetrable.

It looked to be a W for the Geckos but Yelynn Ha broke through almost towards the end of the game to tie it up in the 49th minute.

Both teams could not get a grip on the ball as the game ended without further damage.

All teams this season have now played, with the Hilitais at the top of the standings with 1 win and 1 draw. FMS is next with 1 win, followed by 2 draws for the Geckos, 1 draw for Tanapag Middle School, and 1 loss for both DanDan Middle School and COVMS.

Published by Saipan Tribune - Feb 15 2023