Wild Bill’s reigns supreme in M-League

Wild Bill’s Thanyakorn Konkoed gets away from his defender during an earlier game against Matansa FC in Division 1 of the M-League played at the Oleai Sports Complex Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Wild Bill’s completed the 21 games with a 17-4-0 win-draw-loss mark to finish ahead of Tan Holdings FC, Inter Godfather’s, Korean Football Association on Saipan, Paire FC, MP United FC, Kanoa FC, and Matansa FC. The newly crowned champion capped its perfect season with a 7-1 demolition of KFAS last June 15.

Tanapon Unsa led Wild Bill’s strong finish, scoring five goals, while Jack Thoensaket and Brian Anderson drilled one goal apiece. Unsa made a hat-trick right in the first half of the match, getting his first in the 24th and the second two minutes later. The youth striker registered his third one four minutes before the first half wrapped up. Thoensaket then opened Wild Bill’s scoring in the 52nd minute, while Unsa earned his fourth goal in the 68th minute. Three minutes later, it was Anderson’s turn to light up the board, while Unsa closed out for Wild Bill’s with a goal in the 80th. KFAS avoided a shutout when it drew a goal from Yeong Gil Kim in the 87th minute.

With its seven goals in the last game of the season, Wild Bill’s placed second in the most goals scored behind Tan Holdings, as the former collected 68 against the latter’s 79. Wild Bill’s allowed the least goals with 11 and finished the tournament with 55 points, 11 more than the runner-up Tan Holdings FC.

Tan Holdings got a free win (via forfeiture) in its last game of the season the depleted MP United. The runner-up club completed the season with a 14-2-5 slate to earn 44 points.

Two more matches were played in the final day of competition in the M-League with Paire FC defeating Matansa FC, 5-1, and Sun Palace blanking the CNMI Women’s National Team in the Division 2 game, 4-0.

Four different players scored for Paire FC with Steve McKagan, Mason Fruit, and Josh Nicholas finding the back of the net in the first half and Jake Lee drilling the last goal in the final frame. Paire was earlier awarded a goal off Matansa’s booboo.

Paire finished the season at fifth place with its 8-3-10 mark. It notched 31 goals and gave up 36. Matansa finished last and will be demoted to Division 2 next season, as it dropped all its 21 matches, making only 17 goals, while allowing 104.

The four other teams—Inter Godfather’s (13-2-6), KFAS (11-5-5), MP United (7-1-13), and Kanoa FC (4-1-16)—will stay in Division 1 and will be joined by Division 2 champion the Thundercats. The Thundercats outclassed Shirley’s FC with the former having a 13-4-4 slate against the latter’s 13-1-7.

Though it lost the top spot to the Thundercats, Shirley’s FC had the most goals scored in the division with 63 against the 58 of the former. The Thundercats gave up the least goals with 26, 10 less than Shirley FC’s.

Sun Palace, with its shutout win over the CNMI Women’s National Team, placed third (10-3-8). The four goals Hoin Ryu bagged in the last match brought Sun Palace’s total to 44, one more than the goals it allowed this season. The CNMI Women’s National Team had the least goals in the group with 27 and allowed the most goals (87), finishing the season with a 2-0-19 record.