Guam vs Saipan on Guam News

CNMI football success is Guam's dream

CNMI football success is Guam's dream

By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter

A relieved Richard Lai, president of Guam Football Association, showed up at the banquet for the 4th Annual Marianas Football Cup and shared the mixed emotions he felt during the Guam-CNMI tussle last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

“About two minutes before the match ended and with CNMI ahead, I was nervous. It seemed like we were about to lose a game against the CNMI for the first time,” Lai said during the banquet at the Seaside Grill of Saipan Grand Hotel.

After a scoreless first half, the CNMI took a 1-0 lead when Joe Miller nailed a goal in the 68th minute off a gamble by Guam goalie Brett Maluweng.

“But at the same time, I was proud, as several years ago, this CNMI players were just getting the feel of the game and we are helping them reach the competitive level of play by playing against them. Now, CNMI players improved significantly and they were about to beat us,” the GFA head added.

Fortunately, Jason Ryan Cunliffe saved the day for Guam, drilling a late goal in the 89th minute to force a 1-1 tie.

“My boy, Jason came out with the gutsy play and scored, just like what he did during the EAFF preliminary in Guam last year,” Lai said.

Cunliffe made a game-tying goal for Guam in the 91st minute during their match against Macau, allowing Guam to rule the preliminary tournament and beat eventual runner-up Mongolia.

With or without Cunliffe's game-saving goal last weekend, Lai had his hats off to CNMI players, its coaches, and officials for a well-organized event and for giving Guam another tough game.

“It there's one organization which will be proud to see CNMI players improved, it would be GFA. Your success in football is our dream. We will do our best to help Northern Mariana Islands Football Association develop its program and continue improving their players' skills,” Lai added.

Meanwhile, Lai and the Guam men's and women's team members and coaches thanked organizers of the Marianas Cup for providing them a much improved pitch.

Two years ago, Guam strikers struggled in a bit rocky and dry Oleai pitch. Then more than a month before this year's Marianas Cup, NMIFA through the help of both the private and public sectors rehabilitated the pitch, which now resembles the manicured greens of a golf course.

NMIFA president Jerry Tan thanked all those who contributed to the successful staging of the Marianas Cup and vowed to keep the good condition of the Oleai pitch and seek improvement of other fields to ensure safety of the players.

Marianas Cup ends in 1-1 draw

From the Saipan Tribune:

Marianas Cup ends in 1-1 draw
By Roselyn Monroyo
Monday, June 21, 2010

Almost, but not quite.

The CNMI Men's National Football Team was poised to pull off an upset over rival Guam when Jason Ryan Cunliffe scored a late goal, forcing the two neighbors to share honors in the 4th Annual Marianas Football Cup as the Saturday match at the Oleai Sports Complex Field ended in a 1-1 draw.

The host smelled blood when forward Joe Miller found the back of the net in the 68th minute, giving the CNMI a 1-0 lead.

All the Commonwealth's strikers needed to do was play tough defense and frustrate the visitors' attackers. CNMI goalie Chris Nelson and company did just that for nearly 20 minutes after Miller's goal until Cunliffe found one small lapse on the host's defense.

Guam swung the ball to the left with Cunliffe leading the attack and finding himself inside the penalty box. Two CNMI defenders faced Cunliffe, while Nelson instead of leaning to his left opted to move to his right to provide help defense in case the Guam forward decided to inch in closer and pass his defenders.

Nelson had been successful in running after Guam attackers and quickly diving for the ball in the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. However, this time Cunliffe read the defense well and instead of moving in closer, he stopped and made a cross kick to the right where CNMI defenders were unavailable to block the shot. Nelson made a last-ditch effort of saving the ball, but was unsuccessful.

Cunliffe knocked down the equalizer in the 89th minute and with only a minute left in the match, Jason Schroeder had two chances to score from the left corner, but just could not get the ball to roll in.

When the game ended past 7pm, it took match commissioners a while to decide how to resolve the draw. Stressing the importance of players' safety and considering the inadequate lighting at the pitch, officials, in consultation with both teams, decided to call it a night and declare the CNMI and Guam as co-champions of theMarianas Cup.

Saipan hosted the Marianas Cup for the second time since its inception in 2007. In the first three editions, Guam came out the winner all the time.

Guam and the CNMI's fortunes seemed headed for a switch Saturday afternoon, as the host turned out to be the aggressor at the start of the match.

The CNMI surprisingly dominated possession in the first half and each time the home team had the ball and went for an attack, it drew loud cheers from the crowd, majority of whom obviously rooted for the Commonwealth's strikers.

The loudest roar came when Miller lit up the scoreboard on a shot inside the penalty box. Yikiomi Adachi started the offensive play when he sprinted to the left corner and made a pass to Miller in the center. Guam goalie Brett Maluweng then saw Miller moving closer, so the former gambled on stealing the ball before the latter could hit it. Maluweng paid a dear prize for the gambit, as he collided with Miller and the ball slipped away from his hands. With Maluweng still on the ground, looking for the ball and Guam midfielder Jude Bischoff a few steps late for a rescue, Miller found himself alone in the center and kicked the ball in.

The remaining minutes after Miller's goal were scary for the CNMI, as it repeatedly tried to foil Guam's attempts to equalize, until Cunliffe found one small opening on the host's defense to save the day for the visitors.

After Cunliffe's goal, the CNMI was left with limited options on offense, as Miller was already on the bench. Miller was injured and was pulled out of the match several minutes after he scored.

The CNMI had three more casualties due to the intense game, which saw a lot of shoving and accidental collisions. First to go out was Edwin Cruz, who fell on the ground after banging against a Guam defender. Next was Peter Houk, who also collided with a Guam defender in the second half. Houk and Cruz both went out of the game in a stretcher, but managed to go home in one piece. Midfielder Gilmark Reusora left the game midway in the second half limping, as he rammed into Maluweng while trying to recover a loose ball near the goal box.

As the game ended in draw, the CNMI was without its four starters, while Guam had two players forced to sit on the bench due to injuries.

“Injury definitely took its toll on us. We're just a few minutes away from victory, but unfortunately, Guam had time to tie the game. Still, I believed we did a pretty good job tonight, as the players gave their all in the game. Maybe next time, we will finally catch them,” CNMI captain Nick Swaim said.

“What you saw tonight was a high-level competition and we're just proud to give Guam a tough match, which something we always strive for every time we play against them,” he added.

1-1 draw makes CNMI, Guam co-champions in 2010 Marianas Cup

From the Marianas Variety:

1-1 draw makes CNMI, Guam co-champions in 2010 Marianas Cup
MONDAY, 21 JUNE 2010
BY EMMANUEL T. EREDIANO - REPORTER

THE CNMI national team had the bleachers roar in applause by hitting the first goal of the game leading to a jubilant climax of the 2010 Marianas Football Cup at the Oleai Sports Complex’ field last Saturday.

Guam battled from one goal down during the last 15 minutes of the second half, then, Jason Ryan Cunliffe put the ball into the net in the 89th minute to seize an equal share of what the CNMI national team had in their clutches: The 2010 Marianas Football Cup Championship crown.

The first half ran somehow fast as both teams burst into aggressive plays.

“It (the fist half) was supposed to be slow. But it turned out that both teams were excited playing very hard against each other,” CNMI team’s Pete Charles Houk said in an interview after the game. He noted that both teams had equal time of ball possession in the raging first half.

That equality lingered all the way to the presentation of awards that followed after the game as the match commissioner cited inadequate lighting in the field for an over time, thus, declaring CNMI and Guam co-champions of this years’ Cup.

The dawn was over when the time was up so it was decided not to go on with a tie-breaking extra minutes “to avoid unnecessary injuries.” Indeed.

At least five players—four with CNMI and one with Guam—went flat on the ground shrieking in pain due to cramps.

Except for Gilmark “Arkie” Resoura who still managed to rise back on his feet despite cramps on both legs, both team’s casualties left the field on stretcher.

The CNMI begun to have the advantage as early as the middle of the first half when team captain Nick Swaim immediately figured out who in Guam team they need to get rid of.

“Get the No. 12, Get the No. 12,” he always commanded every time they were in the defense. It worked really well depriving Cunliffe the ball and the clear view of the goal all the way to the end of the first half.

For Team Guam, there were so many NMI attackers to get rid of. The one that goalie, Brett Maluweng appeared too confident about was Joe Miller who always poised to attack from the center.

In the 68th minute, Miller was approaching right from the center where he always did from the very start. The ball came his way. Maluweng brace himself for the short-range hit, he knew would he get it.

Guam’s burly goalie blocked the first kick, but the ball bounced off his hands giving Miller another chance then, boom. The audience exploded in cheers, 1-0 CNMI.

Maluweng was sprawling on the ground when he watched the ball hitting the net.

NMI goalie Chris Nelson did excellent defense. In the 40th minute, the ever aggressive Cunliffe nearly hurt him when he grabbed the ball on its way into the box. They stood and held chests up against each other. This earned Cunliffe a yellow card.

Swaim proved himself right about Cunliffe.

With 15 minutes left in the ball game, Cunliffe was a few yards off the goal when he got the ball. His one kick to the right corner of the goal led the Guam Team to jubilate.

Both teams stood their ground in the remaining minutes that ran out with the score, still 1-1.

Guam 1, NMI 1

While most of the world focuses on the best international teams in football during this year's World Cup, on the tiny island of Saipan in the Western Pacific, 195th ranked Guam challenged unranked Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) in the fourth annual Marianas Cup.

NMI scored in the middle of the second half and led heading into the final minutes, but Guam was able to even the score in the 89th minute.

Team heartthrob, Brad Ruszala, had this to say of today's game, "Guam sucks!"

This was the fifth meeting in four years for the two squads. The teams met twice in 2007; they drew a 2-2 tie on Saipan, but a week later Guam slaughtered NMI 9-0 in Guam. The next year Guam bested NMI 3-2 in Saipan and last year Guam defeated NMI 2-1 in Guam.

Pickup Games

There are pickup games played every Tuesday and Friday at Navy Hill at 5:00 PM.

Memorial Day Weenie Roast Coed Soccer Tournament

The idea has only been around for about 10 minutes, but so far two people have committed to play soccer in the First Annual Memorial Day Weenie Roast Coed Soccer Tournament on Navy HIll. That's Steve McKagan and me! One more person and we have half the amount of people we need to play 3 vs 3!

Here's the deal:

Plan to show up at Navy Hill before noon. I'll bring the fire and the condiments. I also have a cooler, tables, and chairs. Somebody else will volunteer to bring ice, napkins, plates, and whatever else is needed for a BBQ.

We'll start playing soccer right away. The entrance fee for the tournament will be a pack of hot dogs, a six pack of drinks, or something else to share with everyone. If you can't do that, just show up anyway.

It might be a little hot for those first few games, but who cares? The hospital is right down the street!

Let me know if you want to play so we can plan.

Goalie Clinic

Dear Football Club/ Coed League organizers, Youth / Interscholastic/ Men's/ Women's Com chair/ director and National Team Players

I am happy to inform you that Goalkeeper's Clinic schedule has been finalized as below.

( A ) May 31 ( Sun ) 9:00 -11:00 CPA Field
( B ) May 31 ( Sun ) 15:00 -17:00 CPA Field

Above ( A ) and ( B ) are targeted for 15 years and over, men and women including national team player.
Coaches and Coed players are also welcome to participate.
( A ) and ( B ) consists of different programs, so, best to participate both.

( C ) June 2 ( Tue ) 16:30 -18:30 Garapan Elementary School
( D ) June 3 ( Wed ) 16:30 - 18:30 Garapan Elementary School

Above ( C ) and ( D ) are targeted for MP United, Matanza and TanHoldings
players under 15 years old. Coaches from each clubs are also welcome.
( C ) and ( D ) consists of different programs, so, best to participate both.
P.E. teachers from schools are also welcome.


( E ) June 4 ( Thu ) 16:30 -18:30 San Vicente Elementary School
( F ) June 5 ( Fri ) 16:30 - 18:30 San Vicente Elementary School

Above ( E ) and ( F ) are targeted for IFC and Paire players under 15 years old.
Coaches from each clubs are also welcome.
( E ) and ( F ) consists of different programs, so, best to participate both.
P.E. teachers from schools are also welcome.

The coach's name is Mr. Masahiko Ashikawa.
He has played as a goalkeeper in Toyota Football Club ( Japan Football League ).
Below are his profile.
1993-1994 & 2004-2008 Nagoya Grampus Eight ( J.League Division 1) Pro Team Goalkeeper Coach
1995-2003 Jef United Ichihara ( J. League Division 1) Pro Team Goalkeeper Coach and Youth Team Goalkeeper Coach

Kindly spread the word and confirm attendance by May 13th.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to send them to me.

Thank you.

Ken / NMIFA

NMIFA OFFERS ADVANCED REFEREE TRAINING IN MAY

Northern Marianas Island Football Association (NMIFA) moves to strengthen and expand its pool of referees with a two weekend referee certification course in May 2009 by FIFA FUTURO certified instructor George Stewart.

The EAFF Referee 3 Certification Course will be conducted May 1-3 and May 8-9, 2009, qualifying those who pass to referee in any NMIFA-sanctioned match where the requirement for that match does not exceed that level of referee.

"As a new addition to our semi-annual Basic Referee Training Course, this aCertified Class 3 NMIFA Referee training specifically targets individuals who are interested in officiating for high school leagues or older," said NMIFA Referee Chairman Dean Tenorio.

The training is open to all interested individuals with or without experience age 16 and up, although trained referees ages 14-15 who have some experience are also invited. The training schedule will be:

May 1: 6PM to 9PM Classroom (NMIFA office)

May 2: 9AM to 1130AM field work; 1PM to 5PM Classroom
May 3: 9AM to 1130AM field work; 1PM to 5PM Classroom

May 8: 6PM to 9PM Classroom
May 9: 9AM to 1130AM field work; 1PM to 5PM Classroom
May 10: 7:30AM to 10AM Physical Test; 1PM to 4PM Written Test and Certification Presentation

A mandatory fitness test will take place May 10 at 7:30 a.m., rain or shine. The beep test will consist of two 40 meter sprints (7 seconds Male/7.2 seconds female) and five laps around the 400 meter track consisting of 150 meter run followed by 50 meter walk (150 meter run in 50 seconds male/60 seconds female and 50 meter walk in 50 seconds male and female).


Stewart is also Director of Referees and Head Referee Instructor for Guam Football Association. He was appointed to conduct the course by the East Asian Football Federation based on his certification from the FIFA FUTURO Referee Instructor Course, the FIFA FUTURO Referee Instructors Refresher Course, and the JFA International Referee Instructors Course.

"The NMIFA Referee Committee supports the many football leagues we have throughout the year by training interested youth, parents, teachers and other individuals to officiate games," said Tenorio. "Having trained referees is an important part of making the game more enjoyable for everyone and improving professionalism, and we look forward to a strong turnout at this training."

To register, contact the NMIFA Referee Chair Dean Tenorio at deanten@gmail.com, NMIFA Referee Director Vanesa Pritchard at holly_jollyvkp@hotmail.com, or call/visit the NMIFA Office at 235-0173.3rd Floor TSL Bldg. Garapan

2009 Marianas Cup

These photos are by Peter Bosner.

Spring Coed Soccer Update

Our Coed Soccer Coordinator, Dr. David Khorram, has sent out the latest update.

Man, I think a person needs a degree in probability and statistics to get all these combinations together! My brain got kinda foggy doing this, but it looks like it all came together.

We have about 60 players, so all teams have 14-15 people, with equal distribution of men and women, and pretty even distribution of skill level, and miraculously, all teams have an average age of 35 years. Each team has two A players who, along with the B players, will help guide the C and D players along. If you were a member of a group that was requesting to all be together, it worked insofar as I was able to keep clusters of you together, but the teams would have been too warped in terms of skill levels to keep the entire groups together. I was able to get everyone on a team with people they know.

There are four teams. I'm assigning each a letter for now, and a team coordinator, who will organize the team. I chose the coordinators fairly randomly, so if you're not an organizer type, and you've been designated as such, get someone else to do it, and let me know who it is. The role of this person is just to get things going. Identify a couple of experienced players to serve as co-captains during the games.

I was going to try to do most of this stuff, but I'm overwhelmed by all the organization involved, and so I'm asking the teams to share in taking care of the details.

Each team will collect it's own registration forms, liability release forms (this one is important - it protects us all from suing each other if we get hurt), and team dues. Liability insurance would have covered us against losses if a "third party" -- a spectator -- got hurt. Since it would have added an extra $15 to the cost, and the risk is low, I decided to skip it. So the dues are only $15. About $8 will go towards your shirts, and the rest will go towards paint to line the field ($35 per week), and a small amount to pay refs ($10 per week). If you gave your registration form and $ to me, I'll pass it on to the team (and the few people that have already paid will be getting $10 back).

Teams will be responsible for the following:
1. Ordering your shirts. I'll set it up with Island Apparel, but you need to get the sizes and numbers finalized and take them down to the shirt place with the money to get them ordered. I"ll send the spreadsheets out later this week.
2. Collecting the dues and forms.
3. Assigning a responsible and trustworthy person on the team to manage the funds.
4. The home team will always be responsible for arranging and paying the referee. Coordinate this with Dean Tenorio who can connect you to the refs.
5. The Monday home team will be responsible for lining the field each week. I'm told ACE Hardware has special cans of spray paint available that spray upside-down. They cost about $6-$8.50 per can, and it takes about 5 cans to line a field. Have one of the A-players help with this the first time. After that, there should be lines visible that just need to be highlighted each week.

The season is 10 weeks long, starting on February 9. Games start at 5:15 PM sharp. WIth 15 players per team, there may be difficulty at times fielding 11 players. If so, just play 9x9 or 7x7 or whatever works. We're here to play and have a good time. Each team plays once a week, and if you can get together another time for a practice, it makes the games more fun.

I'll get the rules and the schedule out this week.

Here are the teams. Coordinators, please get in touch with your team members. If you can't figure out their email from the names above, then send me an email and I'll get the particular email address to you. I'm attaching the registration form and the release of liability form again for those who haven't turned them in already. Take them to the field next week to your team coordinator, along with your $15.

A - Green Team
Rob Epley - Coordinator
Allen Mijares
John Duenas
Michael Deary
Albert Dean
Rob Jordan
Jaime Saiki
Peter Prestley
Linda Anastacio
Louise Oakley
Abi Robinson
Autumn Breechler
Jennifer Lesosek
Veronica Saures

B - Blue Team
Jeff Elliott - Coordinator
Jersh Angeles
Mike Hall
Greg Elliott
David Khorram
Mara Khorram
Kevin Carey
Mieko Carey
Rebekah Yost
Hee Jae Lee
Jimmy Pua
Daniel Lamar
Sami Birmingham-Babauta
Summer Palacios
Amanda Armstrong

C -- Red Team
Dean Tenorio - Coordinator
Jerry Tan
Jung Gon Jun
Fran Castro
Catherine Anderson
Ken Imaya
Laura WIlliams
Krista Hawley
Rob Schultz
Jing Hui
Meihua Rengiil
Mark Robles
Becky Covarrubius
Hazel Tudela

D -- Yellow Team
Maria Orness - Coordinator
Glenn Smith
Angelo VIllagomez
Laurie Peterka
Rachel Rounds
Peter Bosner
Glenn Jewel
Jeff Warfield
Scott Hayden
Adam Miles
Jennifer Backhaus
Tawny Barcinas
Ericka Frink
Rachelle Miles
Kathleen Herrmann

With best regards,

David

If you are still interested in playing in this league, contact us at nmifacoed@gmail.com

Spring Coed Soccer Registration

The soccer gods have spoken and they say that we are going to have more coed soccer starting in January. Interested? Drop me a line so we can get an idea of our numbers. Here is the story in today's Saipan Tribune:

The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be kicking off the 2009 season with the NMIFA Co-ed Soccer Spring League at the CPA Field.

“The co-ed soccer league is starting in January as a non-competitive recreational league to provide the opportunity for adults who are new to soccer, people who are out of shape, or people who are getting creaky, to have an opportunity to learn and to play the world's most popular sport. The main purpose is to have fun and to learn the game.” said David Khorram, who is organizing the league along with Jaime Saiki and Angelo Villagomez.

Khorram added they are looking to start the event on Jan. 5 with one game to be played in each playing day. Games will be played every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and will start at 5:15pm. But Khorram said schedules are tentative.

An “Intro to Soccer” camp will be held on Jan. 3 to teach participants drills on dribbling, passing, shooting, and other basic skills.

Khorram is inviting interested individuals, especially those with no prior soccer experience to join the camp and the league.

“I've had a great time with the past two summer co-ed leagues. There are lots of opportunities for the island's talented players to be involved with soccer year-round. For those of us with less skill, the co-ed league is the place to be. We're looking at having it run for many more weeks of the year, and drawing only a limited number of the talented players,” Khorram said.

Players joining next month's league will be classified into three categories. A players are those with the ability to play in the men's or women's league, or have significant experience playing soccer. B players have some soccer experience and with moderate stamina, while C types are those new to soccer, or completely out of shape.

“The league will limit the number of 'A' players per team, and the role of these proficient players will be to teach and to support the development of the less skilled players,” Khorram said.

Each team will be composed of 11 players.

If interested to play or for more information, contact Villagomez at 285 6462 or email angelovillagomez@gmail.com.

NMIFA Men's League Finals

The end of season tournament for the 2008 Fall Men's league is this Sunday, November 16th at Ada field.

The format of the tournament is a seeded team format. The teams' records during the regular season will determine their seed.

Games will consist of tow 35 minute halves with a single 5 minute half time. If regulation ends in a tie, there will be two ten minute overtime periods, and a shoot-out if still tied after overtime.

Schedule:

Game A 11:00 AM Independents v. MPU (2nd v. 3rd place)

Game B 1:00 PM Inter v. MFC (1st v. 4th place)

Consolation 2:30pm loser A v. loser B

Final 4pm winner B v. winner A

The winner takes home the NMIFA Cup. Trophies will be presented at a ceremony across the street on the beach.

Standings after regular season play:

1. Inter 6-0
2. Independents 3-3
3. MPU 2-4
4. MFC 1-5

2009 Coed Winter Soccer League

Psssst.....

There is going to be a coed league starting up in January. Pass it on.

Link to the Friends of the Monument blog

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The federal workshops on Saipan are just over one week away! There are ways that you can help to support the monument. Click HERE for more information.

Tournament Schedule

8 am: Cap't Morgans v. Sureshanks RIO (Devil)
9 am: GMF v. Devil's Advocates DEAN'S PICK(Dean)
10 am: C. Morgans v. Gil Fever PETER L. (Sure)
11 am: Devils Advocates v. Deaniacs GREG (GMF)
12 pm: Sureshanks v. Gil Fever NICK (Captain)
1 pm: GMF v. Deaniacs JASON (Gil)
2 pm: Third Place Final (Champ game team)
3 pm: 2nd Place Final (3rd place team)
4 pm: Championship (2nd place team)

USA is Gold, Gold, Gold!

The U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team put together a near perfect defensive performance to hold powerful Brazil scoreless for 120 minutes while getting a goal from Carli Lloyd just six minutes into overtime to record a historic 1-0 victory and earn the gold medal.

This victory marked the third gold medal for the U.S. women in four Olympic Games. The USA also won gold in 1996 and 2004 while taking the silver in 2000.

The match was played in front of a raucous crowd of 51,612 on a field made slippery by rain that fell during the entire day and for the first part of the match.

The winning goal came on a shot from outside the box from Lloyd, who took advantage of a nice piece of possession in the U.S. attacking half that saw the ball go from substitute Lauren Cheney to Lloyd, who one-touched it to Amy Rodriguez. The speedy U.S. forward played a cheeky back heel to an overlapping Lloyd, and she took a touch forward before blasting a low left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal.

“What an amazing match,” said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. “I am so proud and I am enjoying the moment.”

The game was a rematch of the 2004 gold medal game that saw a similar result with the USA winning 2-1 in overtime off a game-winning goal from Abby Wambach.

Hope Solo played a super match in the U.S. nets, catching several dangerous crosses, stuffing Brazilian star Cristiane on a mini-breakaway, denying FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Marta on an almost-point blank shot and parrying away a terrifyingly dangerous cross near the end.

The U.S. team played Brazil even during the first half, with both teams producing only a few scoring opportunities, but the Brazilians picked up the pace in the second half. That’s when the U.S. defense shined the most, riding a spectacular defensive performance from center backs Kate Markgaf and Christie Rampone and outside backs Heather Mitts and Lori Chalupny to keep the Brazilian strikers off the board despite several close chances.

After a scoreless 90 minutes, the teams entered the overtime period with Brazil getting the nod on scoring chances, but the U.S. defense and Solo would not break.

Solo’s best save of the night, and possibly the biggest of her career, came in the 72nd minute, after Marta got around two U.S. defenders and into the six-yard box. Marta had a clear shot from point-blank range, but Solo reacted with lightning-fast reflexes to block the well-struck shot with her right hand to keep game scoreless.

The Brazilian attack of Marta and Cristiane was dangerous throughout the night, using their dribbling runs at the U.S. defenders to create chances. In the 31st minute, Cristiane got in behind the American back line, but Solo came off her line to smother the ball, sending the Brazilian forward flying into the air. Three minutes later, it was Marta who danced around Markgraf and Rampone, but her low driven ball hit the side-netting at near post.

In the 41st minute, the U.S. turned a half-chance into a great opportunity. Heather O’Reilly made a quick turn near the right touchline and lifted the ball up in the air toward the penalty box. Hucles was there to run onto it and hit a half volley, but her shot went wide.

Solo was called upon to make another big save in the 54th minute, after Cristiane and Marta combined again to get Marta down the end line. She cut in toward the goal and hit a shot from a difficult angle that Solo snared and held onto as other Brazilian attackers crashed in for a potential rebound.

At the other end of the field, the Americans pressed forward late in the game as they looked to win the game in regulation. Brazilian goalkeeper Barbara was called upon to make her best save of the game in the 86th minute when Hucles ripped a one-timer that seemed destined for the side-netting, but Barbara dove to make the save and keep her team in the game.

Just before the end of regulation, Rodriguez found herself in alone on goal as a ball skipped past the Brazilian defense. The 21-year-old striker saw Barbara slip and tried to chip her, but the Brazilian ‘keeper was able to recover and knock the ball down.. With the final regulation chance, it was Rodriguez again who received the ball in the center of field, turned and ripped a low driven shot right to Barbara.

The American momentum carried into the first overtime period and the U.S. Women got the game winner just six minutes after the restart.

Both teams made substitutions after the goal as Sundhage brought on Natasha Kai for O’Reilly and Brazil countered by subbing in Rosana.

The South American side ratcheted up their attack looking for the equalizer and almost got it in the second overtime period. Following a quick restart, Marta got around two defenders on the dribble and hit a hard shot that went just high of Solo’s net.

Minutes later, she took a dangerous-looking free kick from outside the penalty area that took a bounce near the far post before skipping wide of the goal, just out of reach of a crashing Renata Costa.

With Brazil pressing forward, the U.S. took advantage of the counter attack, almost doubling their lead. Kai ran down a ball in the corner and played it across the top of the box, where Lloyd took it on the run and battled through a few defenders before hitting a shot that caromed off the right post and away.

With time running out, Brazil earned three straight corner kicks and the third almost leveled the score. Marta’s corner from the right side swung to the far post for Renata Costa, who got her head on it, but her shot hit the outside netting of the goal. The last chance of the game belonged to Brazil as Renata Costa lofted the ball into the box for Cristiane. She was able to get a head on it and drive the ball low, but Solo was there for the save.

Following the 2008 Olympic Games, the U.S. Women’s National Team will take on Ireland in a three-match tour, hitting stops on the East Coast and Midwest shortly after their return from China. The Fall Tour gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Philadelphia at 8 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field, and continues on Wed., Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The last of these three games will be played on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. CT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.

Match-up: USA vs. Brazil
Competition: 2008 Beijing Olympics – Gold Medal Match
Venue: Worker’s Stadium; Beijing, China
Date: August 21, 2008; Kickoff – 9 p.m. local / 9 a.m. ET
Attendance: 51,612
Weather: Rain – 68 degrees

Scoring Summary:
1 2 E E F
USA 0 0 1 0 1
BRA 0 0 0 0 0

USA – Carli Lloyd (Amy Rodriguez) 96th minute.

Lineups:
USA: 18-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 15-Kate Markgraf, 3-Christie Rampone – Capt., 17-Lori Chalupny; 9-Heather O’Reilly (6-Natasha Kai, 101), 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd, 5-Lindsay Tarpley (12-Lauren Cheney, 71); 8-Amy Rodriguez (14-Stephanie Cox, 120), 16-Angela Hucles
Subs not used: 4-Rachel Buehler, 10-Aly Wagner, 13-Tobin Heath, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head Coach: Pia Sundhage

BRA: 12-Barbara; 2-Simone (18-Rosana, 104), 4-Tania, 5-Renata Costa, 16-Erika; 6-Maycon, 7-Daniela (15-Fabiana, 77), 8-Formiga (13-Francielle, 106+), 9-Ester; 10-Marta, 11-Cristiane
Subs: 1-Andeia, 3-Andreia Rosa, 17-Maurine, 14-Pretinha
Head Coach: Jorge Barcellos

Statistical Summary: USA / BRA
Shots: 10 / 15
Shots on Goal: 7 / 6
Saves: 6 / 6
Corner Kicks: 3 / 15
Fouls: 11 / 15
Offside: 0 / 6

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Heather Mitts (caution) 37th minute.
BRA – Rosana (caution) 106+.
BRA – Erika (caution) 108.
USA – Natasha Kai (caution) 114.

Officials
Referee: Dagmar Damkova (CZE)
Asst. Referee: Maria Luisa Villa Gutierrez (ESP)
Asst. Referee: Hege Steinlund (NOR)
4th Official: Christine Beck (GER)

Sierra Mist Woman of the Match: Hope Solo

The Master List Redux

The Master List of Saipan bloggers has been updated over on The Saipan Blog.

There are currently over 140 Saipan bloggers along with almost 20 Coconuts Abroad.

Bloggers are requested to add a link to the Master List as it is the most comprehensive list of Saipan (and Tinian and Rota) blogs.

Women's CNMI National Team try-outs

update


CNMI Women's National Team Tryouts:

Location: ADA field


Monday Sept. 8th at 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM
Sat. Sept. 13th 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Monday Sept. 15th 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM
Sat. Sept. 20th 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

Monday Sept. 22nd 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM
Sat. Sept. 27th 8:30 AM to 10:30 PM

There are few weeks to get into as best shape as you can, so everyone can come into tryouts ready.

Game 4: Deaniacs vs Devils Advocates

The Summer's last place team, Deaniacs, were too much for the Devils Advocates. They whomped them in a 3-2, uh, whomping.

Lar Theotherthaiguy scored both of the Devils Advocates goals. Masa Otsuka scored the first goal for Deaniacs and Pete Lokan scored two others. Pet's goals won't count towards the Golden Boot because he plays for another team.