MPU keeps title hopes alive

MP United Football Club remained in contention for the boys U18 division title of the 2015 NMIFA Youth Spring League following a tough 2-1 victory over rival Tan Holdings FC last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

MP United improved to a 6-1-1 record with one game left in the three-round robin competition. It will play its last game this Saturday against Paire and another win will allow MP United to tie Tan Holdings FC (7-1-1) for the top spot. In case of a deadlock, a playoff game will be scheduled to decide the division champion.

Jehn Joyner scored the game-winning goal in MP United’s important victory over Tan Holdings. However, credit half of the goal to defender Enrico Del Rosario, who sent the pass to Joyner inside the box near the corner of the goal. The Del Rosario-Joyner connection took place in the 75th minute after Ryan Relucio was charged with a C1 infraction at the right sideline against a sprinting Kyle Chung.

MP United’s Jehn Joyner, left, and Scott Kim, center, rush to the ball and are slightly ahead of Tan Holdings FC’s Louie Calayag, right, during the second half of their boys U18 division game in the NMIFA youth league last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

MP United was awarded with a free kick with Del Rosario taking it from about 30 yards at the sideline and making a lob feed to Joyner, who positioned himself in front of several Tan Holdings defenders. Joyner went for the header and the ball also hit his shoulder before going down and into the goal to give MP United the upper hand.

MP United managed to protect the shaky lead, as it made strategic substitutions and melted the clock, while Tan Holdings had only one opportunity to equalize and missed the shot with the ball going over the goal.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Tan Holdings, as it only needed a draw to seal the division championship. The club, which faced MP United sans key player Sean Perez, failed to duplicate its second round win over its rival despite lighting up the board first off Joel Fruit’s goal.

Fruit lifted Tan Holdings to a 1-0 advantage as he nailed a header off a corner kick in the 16th minute. Tan Holdings hung on to the driver’s seat for a while before Sunjoon Tenorio knocked in the equalizer off a counter attack in the 35th minute.

The match remained even going into the homestretch where MP United became more aggressive with its title bid on the line. Joyner anchored MP United’s attacks as he made two straight attempts and faltered before being successful in his third try. The first came in with about 15 minutes left and Joyner unloading a loop shot from about 40 yards, but the ball hit the top post and went out. The second was under the 10-minute mark off Dakota Hall’s corner kick and Joyner’s header was way too high.

Joyner and company kept going as coach Norman Del Rosario instructed them to be relentless on offense in the closing minutes.

“In the last 10 minutes, I had to tell the boys to give everything, to live everything in the pitch because we need to win to stay alive. I wanted them to go home without any regrets, not telling themselves ‘we should have taken a shot or we should have blocked it,’” the MP United coach said.

“We just wanted to live one more day and then play our best against Paire this week because all teams now are capable of winning,” he added.