Lupe o le Soaga

The squad that hails from the proud village of Magiagi were once again crowned Samoa Football Federation champions when the league was halted early due to the recent measles epidemic.

Lupe o le Soaga were awarded the championship in late November with a 14 win, 2 loss record.

Coach Paul Ualesi said “It was a close fought league this year. Teams like Kiwi FC and Vaipuna put up a good challenge, but our boys experience, dedicated training ethic and team spirit were factors that enabled us to succeed”.

The 22 players and six management left for Auckland on Monday night, where they will play Tongan club Veitongo on Saturday and Cook Islands club Tupapa Maraerenga the following Tuesday.

Forward Jarvis Filimalae from Vaiala certainly fits into the former category.

The 16-year-old attends Hastings Boys’ High School in New Zealand on a football scholarship facilitated by the Football Federation of Samoa.

He made his national team debut last year ahead of Samoa’s Pacific Games campaign on home soil.

“It was a good experience, high level high standard.”