Merrick Toves, Britany Wally to play college soccer
MERRICK Toves and Britany Wally on Friday announced their commitment to two separate collegiate soccer schools.
Toves has committed to Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy which is an association football academy in Leeds, England. Founded in 2010, it is the world's only male and female college soccer program offering a dual accredited U.S./U.K. degree.
Toves, who is a multisport athlete, will play for the Eccleshill United Football Club in the Premier Division of the Northern Counties East Football League.
The NCEFL is a semi-professional English football league that consists of the Premier Division and Division One, and they stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football pyramid respectively with over 40 teams.
Toves thanked everyone who contributed to his achievements as a football player. “Thank you to [the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association], the Kanoa Football Club, all of my coaches and teammates who have helped me in this journey. I will continue to improve my game to represent the NMI well, continue to play for the NMI national team, and inspire younger players to stay with the NMIFA program.”
Britany Wally, for her part, has committed to Navarro College whose main campus is in Corsicana, Texas.
Navarro College is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association which oversees community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the U.S.
The Navarro College Bulldogs are the eight-time Region XIV champions, perennial participants in the NJCAA National Tournament, and once ranked No. 1 (2013) in the entire competition.
It is also the same college where NMI national soccer player Guine Borja first played before moving up to Oklahoma Panhandle State University which is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity since I graduated from high school a couple of years ago,” Wally said. “Finally, it’s here and I have the chance to continue playing soccer in college. Thank you to everyone who helped me get this opportunity. Thank you NMIFA, the coaches, and my teammates for all the support.”
NMIFA President Jerry Tan said they have already “lost count of how many NMI players have made it to the collegiate ranks and that’s very good news for us. We are all proud of you and wish you good luck as you continue to play football. Please come back and share what you will learn with our young players,” he told Toves and Wally.
National Coach Michiteru Mita, for his part, told the two football players to “be role models on and off the pitch and take advantage of every opportunity to play and learn.”
Published by Marianas Variety - Jul 28, 2022
