The Guam Department of Education Interscholastic Sports Association Middle School Girls Soccer championship kicked off Tuesday as the F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School Hawks met the Astumbo Middle School Dragons at the Guam Football Association field.
FBLG, after two overtime periods and a penalty kick shootout, won 3-0.
The Hawks and Dragons played each other twice during the regular season with the first game ending in a tie and the second ending in favor of FBLG 2-1.
Right off the whistle, the Dragons pushed into the Hawks’ side of the field. Astumbo hoped to gain the early lead through force by pushing against FBLG’s defense. Despite their past experiences with the team, the Dragons were clearly not going to let this battle go so easily.
A clear threat on the field, Astumbo’s forward Klowie Meno, with great speed, pushed deep into FBLG’s side of the field. With her teammates looking to feed her the ball, she emerged as the team’s leader.
However, the Hawks had their way of dealing with Meno. Undeterred by the pressure of Astumbo’s offense, FBLG’s center defender Paige Blas exhibited great defensive skill while stopping every ball the Dragons tried to force through. With Blas’ patience, she stole the ball from her opponent and fed her midfielders.
With Blas pushing her team up from defense, the Hawks finally broke onto the Dragons’ side of the field.
In an attempt to turn the tide, FBLG’s midfield, quickly, sent a ball through the middle of the field. Astumbo’s defense stayed organized as they stalled their opponents, giving their goalkeeper enough time to intercept the loose ball.
The game turned into a center field battle, both teams unwilling to let the other deep into their halves. With both defensive lines tight and pushed up, it was up to the midfielders to find ways to break through. Both teams had equal opportunities to score, however, speedy and powerful shots made it difficult for both offensive sides to finish.
During a score attempt by Astumbo, FBLG's defensive line committed a fatal handball within the goal box. With Astumbo gaining a penalty kick, centered in front of the goal, FBLG was put into a tight corner. Their goalkeeper, Jayda Raval, reacted quickly and shut down the Dragons’ wide-open shot.
Both teams locked down their defenses and the first half ended with the scores knotted at 0-0.
Stirring second half
The second half was just as tight as the first, with both teams looking to score a goal that could bring them to a championship title.
In an attempt to add more firepower to their offense, Blas was placed in the striker position.
Showing great dribbling skills and footwork, Blas forced many goal opportunities for her team. In spite of her powerful presence in the front, Astumbo’s defense remained calm and organized, continuing to stop each of her attempts.
Though FBLG started the half with great possession, the Dragons’ relentless play turned the game to their favor. Their fierce probing forced the Hawks onto the defensive.
With a key defender out of the loop, the Dragons push into their opponent’s half. Their continuous pushing led to many corner kick opportunities, however, the Dragons couldn’t connect.
Though Astumbo’s Meno was able to take more shots on goal, Raval proved her presence as the Hawks' last line of defense.
Raval, a seventh grader, small in stature, made big waves in the box as she picked up every shot and stray ball that came her way. Though she was quiet and inactive for most of the first half, she made up for what the defense was beginning to lack and covered all of her team's bases in the back.
With both teams striking out on goal attempts, the second half concluded, the score tied at 0-0.
In the face of all those shots, Raval trusted her instincts and abilities.
“I was both nervous and excited whenever a shot was right in front of me, and saving every ball felt unreal,” she said.
Overtime
After a brief break, the teams were sent back on the field for two five-minute overtime halves.
The Dragons started off with the possession and quickly pushed past the Hawks’ defense for a goal opportunity. Unluckily, the opportunity passed when the ball was struck out of the field, giving possession to the Hawks.
This opportunity would have brought great openings, but a bad pass gave the ball back to the Dragons who went right back to their scoring attempts.
Still in her own game, Raval blocked every ball sent toward her goal. With her defense fatigued, she supported and covered them in every way.
After five minutes, both teams came up empty and the teams switched sides and quickly moved into the second half of overtime.
The Dragons continued to hold much of the possession and even gained an important corner kick in the last minute of overtime. However, their attempt was a bit off and another opportunity was missed.
The overtime period ended with the score frozen at 0-0 and the game advanced to a penalty kick shootout.
Sweeping shootout
The score, unaltered, needed to be decided in a shootout. However, Raval was replaced with Feah Fejeran, FBLG’s right wing for most of the game.
An outsider may have thought the decision was a mistake, however, Fejeran proved her utility as a player when she silenced every shot.
In the box, FBLG’s offensive line refused to be hushed. With three consecutive shots blasted from Blas, Nova Pagan and Emani Villegas, the Hawks secured the victory.
With this being the first title game held for the ISA Middle School Girls Soccer League, FBLG’s head coach Warren Jamindang was immensely proud of his team.
“We worked hard from the very beginning. Most of the girls we have on the team are not soccer players, they are from our track team,” he said. “We worked with the girls we had and their hard work helped us prevail.”
