Kaithlyn is MVP, Golden Boot awardee; Toremy is Golden Glove recipient

NMI soccer star Andrei Kaithlyn Chavez was awarded the Most Valuable Player and Golden Boot for her exceptional performance during the NMIFA Women’s U21 Three Nations Cup.

Defensively, NMI keeper Toremy Diaz Baek was the Golden Glove Award recipient after holding down Guam to just one goal in their final match, 1-4, that clinched the sweep and championship last Sunday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

Chavez scored five goals within the tourney’s four games—some of which were made during high-pressure and high-stake situations. And, for her performance and show of teamwork and display of skill, she was also given the MVP award for the tourney.

On how she feels receiving her awards, Chavez said, “Honestly, it’s all team effort. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this, so props to my team and my coaches for giving us this opportunity to be able to have this cup.”

As for the tournament, she said, “This was the first time having this cup so it’s a good opportunity to show the people—show the island how we play. Most of our games are off-island so it was a great way for our friends and family to watch us play.”

With their sweep of all the games, she said, “It was all our hard work. We’ve been working hard since last month because this was actually delayed—so, all our hard work paid off.”

For Baek, she said receiving the award felt pretty good. “I obviously didn’t really expect it because there are other pretty good keepers in this tournament and they had pretty good saves, and I’m just thankful to get this award.

Baek, who made a few saves throughout the game as Guam tried hard to find an opening, said that the key was communication with her team. “Just trusting our teammates and just supporting each other,” she said. The match, she added, “was pretty good. Just thankful for our team for supporting each other and just being prepared throughout this whole tournament physically and mentally–-and we’re just happy to win it.

“We’ve challenged them previously, so we were prepared with what they were going to bring and we just mentally and physically prepared for this game most especially.”

Participating teams in this tourney with the NMI were Mongolia and Guam. The NMI beat them both twice and won the championship based on the most points from their win-draw-loss standings.

The NMI scored 10 total goals in four games to claim the championship. Guam came in second with seven goals and an even 2-2 record, while Mongolia scored a goal and lost all four matches to both Guam and the NMI.