PRESS RELEASE – Guam Shipyard unraveled the NAPA Rovers defense early and secured a 4-1 victory for the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship title Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.
Guam Shipyard, four-time winners of Guam’s premier men’s soccer tournament, settled into the match comfortably after taking the lead in just the sixth minute of play. After NAPA Rovers’ Francis Chargualaf intercepted an early cross from Shipyard’s Donovan Reyes and attempted to pass the ball to a teammate, Min Sung Choi managed to get a foot on the ball, setting up teammate Tae Min Kim for a 20-yard screamer from the left side to the opposite post.
The Rovers defense’s woes continued when Nathan Sablan was sent off with a red card in the 13th minute, leaving his team to play with 10 players for the remainder of the match.
Choi doubled Shipyard’s advantage in the six minutes later on a follow-up shot from just inside the 18-yard line as the Rovers were trying to clear a Shipyard corner kick.
Mark Chargualaf made it 3-0 for Guam Shipyard in the 65th minute, finishing a cross from Jonathon Cleary and later scored his second of the night in the 83rd minute. NAPA Rovers goalkeeper David Drews managed to break up a Shipyard corner kick play by punching the ball out, only for it to sail toward an unmarked Chargualaf just outside the penalty box. Chargualaf capitalized on the opportunity slotting in a right-footed volley to put his team up 4-0.
Rovers’ Marcus Lopez prevented a clean sheet for Shipyard keeper Sean Evans with a successful penalty kick in the 86th minute after teammate Francis Chargualaf was fouled in the box.
Shipyard players were presented gold medals and hoisted the tournament’s perpetual trophy in an awards ceremony following the match. The Rovers were awarded silver medals and the runner-up trophy.
Also recognized during the awards ceremony were winners of the 2016-2017 Budweiser Soccer League. The NAPA Rovers swept all men’s soccer league divisions – the Premier Division, Division 2 and the Masters Division.
Individual award winners also were awarded trophies. In the Premier Division, Choi won the Golden Boot award for top goal scorer in the division and Drews won the Golden Glove award for top goalkeeper in the division. Rovers’ Alfredo Villasenor won the Division 2 Golden Boot award and Islanders FC goalkeeper Shawn Sablan won the division’s Golden Glove award. In the Masters Division, Rovers’ Ian Lawton and Chima Mbakwem won the division’s Golden Boot and Golden Glove awards, respectively.
Fair Play winners were also recognized: Haya United in the Premier Division, Islanders FC in Division 2, and United Masters in the Masters Division.
PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
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- NAPA Rovers’ Marcus Lopez tries to advance the ball through the midfield past Guam Shipyard’s Donovan Reyes during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- NAPA Rovers’ Marcus Lopez gets slide tackled on the way to the goal against Guam Shipyard during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- NAPA Rovers’ Ian Mariano looks for options as he controls the ball in the midfield against Guam Shipyard during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- NAPA Rovers’ Eddie Lee Lorenzo controls the ball in the midfield as Guam Shipyard’s Dominic Gadia tracks him on defense during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- Guam Shipyard’s Donovan Reyes fights to keep possession of the ball facing defensive pressure from NAPA Rovers’ Eddie Lee Lorenzo during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- NAPA Rovers goalkeeper David Drews leaps to clear the ball away from Guam Shipyard players on a free kick play during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- Guam Shipyard players celebrate after Min Sung Choi scored the team’s second goal of the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match against 2016 champions NAPA Rovers Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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- Guam Shipyard’s Mark Chargualaf manages to strip the ball away from NAPA Rovers’ Jonah Romero during the Bank of Guam 10th Annual GFA Cup championship match Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Guam Shipyard won 4-1.
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Frank ‘The Crank’ Camacho was a competitive youth golfer in Saipan with dreams of making it to the PGA.
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(AP/Carlos Osorio)
