Tenorio: Trusted rookie

Suffolk University’s Sunjoon Tenorio leaps for a header during their game against Lesley in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division III. (Suffolk University)

Sunjoon Tenorio’s impressive rookie season in the National Collegiate Athletics Association is highlighted not only by the individual awards he got, but also by the trust he earned from his collegiate squad.

“Although it was my first season, my teammates respected me and so did my coaches. The coaches trusted me to play multiple positions, and even play the offense through me in many games,” said Tenorio, who is back on island after completing his freshman year with the Suffolk University, an NCAA-Division III school in Boston.

Tenorio was named Rams’ Rookie of the Year and took the Team MVP honors after leading Suffolk in scoring with his 10 goals. He suited up in 15 out of the Rams’ 16 matches (he missed one as he had to play for the CNMI Men’s U19 National Team in the Asian Football Confederation U19 Championship 2020 Group G Qualifier in Cambodia) and was a starter in 12.

“My rookie season was a very eventful one. Although I got off to a slow start, I picked it up toward the middle of the season after I got used to the college soccer style of play. It was a very good season for me in the sense that I learned a lot from my rookie season,” the 19-year-old said.

Among those lessons are how to be patient and adapt to difficult situations.

“In the beginning of the season, we lost our head coach due to certain circumstances that were out of our control. Because of that, we had to deal with a coaching change, as well as learning a new style of play,” the former MP United Football Club team captain said.

Under a new system, Tenorio and company won their season debut only to drop their next three matches. It was then a seesaw performance for the Rams in the fall season and they finished the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with a 6-9-1 win-loss-draw record.

“There were definitely frustrating times, but I learned to be patient and give my best regardless of what situation we have been going through. I would say patience and adaptability were the best lessons I learned throughout my rookie season,” Tenorio said.

The CNMI striker also got his dose of the physicality of the game.

“Playing internationally for the NMI National Team, I am very used to playing against technically gifted players. In the U.S., players are not as technical as the internationals ones, but they are very physical. I had to learn to adapt to that part of the game. I struggled at the start, but after a few games I started to play better,” he said.

Meanwhile, out of their six victories, the Marianas High School graduate believes he played his best in the match against the No. 2 rank Norwich.

“I played as a center mid during the game, which meant that there was not only a lot of pressure on me to attack and distribute, but also defend and protect the back line. I scored the winner in the 78th minute off a counterattack, and that feeling was amazing, especially playing in front of our home fans. I would say that was my best game because of the way I played both offensively and defensively, and also because the level of opponent,” Tenorio said.

With his rookie year over, Tenorio is excited to surpass his freshman achievement when he suits up for the Rams anew

“My goal for next season is to improve my stats from last season, as well as help get my team to the playoffs. I had a fairly good season so it will not be easy to improve, but I will work toward that and play my best to achieve these goals,” he said.