A handful of aspiring footballers have earned a chance to represent their country in August’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship after strong performances at the American Samoa High School Athletic Association (ASHSAA) Girl’s Soccer Championship last week.
The competition saw public and private schools from across American Samoa compete for the title, and FFAS Vice-President Sandra Fruean was pleased to have the opportunity to see the depth of talent in the country’s women’s football teams.
“I want to thank all the schools for participating, especially the girls, for playing this sport of ours,” she said.
“You are the future of our sport in women’s soccer, and I want you all to keep playing.”
Fruean was also pleased to have new players exposed in time for upcoming regional competitions.
“We selected about 40 girls for our U-16 trials, and in the next few weeks we will announce our training squad for the upcoming OFC U-16 Women’s Championship,” she said.
The high school competition saw an exciting finish this year, with Tafuna Warriors becoming the first public school to win the competition in three years after defeating SPA Dolphins 2-0 in the final.
The Warriors defeated defending champions Fa’asao-Marist 4-1 in the semi-final after only just qualifying for the play-offs.
The public high school also took home the Most Valuable Player award after striker Elcy Lui scored both goals in their final.
Tafuna Warriors coach Tavita Tili was proud of his side’s perseverance throughout the competition and overjoyed about their last minute claim at the title after sitting in fourth place prior to the play-offs.
“I want to thank the girls for their hard work all year long, and their commitment, and the spirit of never giving up,” he said.
“This is a great win for the team, the school and the supporters.”