NMI U20 women’s soccer team honored after historic AFC victory

The NMI U20 women’s national soccer team was honored at a special lunch celebration on Friday at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, following a groundbreaking performance that etched their names into the history books with NMI’s first-ever win in an AFC qualifier on Sunday, Aug. 10.

The team closed out the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in historic fashion, defeating Bahrain, 3-0, in a dominant final match. Star striker Kaithlyn Chavez led the charge with two goals and an assist, setting up Summer Manahane for the third.

The win came after a tough start to the tournament—losses to Uzbekistan, 0-8, and Jordan, 1-6, but the team bounced back with resilience, growth, and a history-making performance they’ll never forget.

The team, with Chavez and Manahane, consists of Mia Abuan, Abrey White, Iris Rasa, Joselyn Atalig, Orica George, Ye Lynn Ha, Cassidee Flores, Audrey Castro, Deseha Mendiola, Julie Chavez, Rizza Relucio, Sophia Quintos, Stacy Arriola, Alyssa Borlongan, Fiona Regan, Cassie Regan, Tamia Kileleman-Hix, and Megan Elayda.

They were joined by Head of Delegation Luam Khen Koo; head coach Chi Ming Tang; assistant coaches Shuk Fan Wong, Mae Ito, and Ronnel Ocanada; team manager Khristelle Itaas; assistant team manager Yu Hung Lee; and team doctor Robert Zarajczyk.

On Friday before lunch, 18-year-old Chavez said of their historic win in an interview, “Going into the tournament, we didn’t expect to win. We knew it was going to be a hard game—a tough game, and we just planned to give it our all. But after we saw how Bahrain played and the coaches told us we had a chance, we talked amongst ourselves and asked ‘what do we want from this game?’. And we said we wanted to win so coming into the game, we gave it our all, put lots of effort, and in the end we were able to make history.”

When asked about how special the team was, she said, “This group’s honestly special and I’m just so proud of them and I’m definitely going to miss playing with them that’s for sure.”

A member of Saipan International School’s Class of 2025, she started playing soccer at the tender age of four and worked her way up to the national team by 12. Now, she’s set to suit up for the University of Mobile and hopes to one day play in a higher division and become a professional soccer player.

For 19-year-old Manahane who scored the third goal, she said, “I’ve been playing soccer since I was really young, and NMIFA has been really supportive and I’m extremely grateful to be given these opportunities to go out there and represent the country and flag. I’m just really grateful. Thank you to everybody—my parents, the staff, NMIFA, president Jerry. We’re just very grateful to be given these opportunities and just the support is amazing. It really motivates us to go out there and do our best and play our hardest.”

Speeches were given before lunch, with NMIFA President Jerry Tan offering his remarks. He shared some perspective on why it took 13 years since joining the AFC to finally secure a win.

While NMI has had success in the East Asian Football Federation, the AFC presents a much tougher level of competition.

For context, the AFC covers all of Asia and hosts major tournaments like the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers, featuring top teams from across the continent. The EAFF, a smaller regional group under the AFC, focuses on East Asia and runs its own competitions like the EAFF E-1 Championship. AFC events are typically more competitive, while EAFF tournaments give developing teams valuable international experience.

With that, he said, “To beat any of the three teams is very difficult coming from a small place called NMI—smallest, newest, youngest—and trying to beat somebody who we might be on the same level but they’ve been around for 80 years.” In closing, he said, “What a journey, but we are here to celebrate success because of the collective effort of everyone over many, many years. Happy 20th anniversary to NMIFA!”

Afterwards, Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds gave her remarks and said, “You can only get better as a player, if you experience competition at a higher level—it’s only going to make you better. Taking into context what he’s just shared in terms of the progress of what this association has made over the years—3-0? C’mon ladies!...” She added, when you go out there on a national level and the speakers ring out calling the players from the Northern Mariana Islands, you are sharing with the world who we are and where we’re from… the more you play on these international levels, the more that you help us market CNMI through your ambassadorship.”

NMIFA General Secretary Ross Zapanta then said, “This is all team effort. And when we win, it’s not only you players—it’s our coaches, our officials, our NMIFA management, and most importantly our parents since we started playing this sport. So to our U20 national team, now you are our superstars because you are in the history of the NMIFA. So I’m just asking from now on to continue working hard, be role models for our younger grassroots players, encourage them to play, and continue representing the NMIFA in all other future competitions.”

After the lunch celebration, the team was then given incentives for their success.

By Leigh Gases