Paire stuns MP United

MP United’s Joshua Abragan, right, loses his balance after colliding with a Paire defender as they battle for the ball during the second half of their boys U17 game in the NMIFA youth league last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Paire Football Club pulled off an early upset this season after beating boys U17 division leader MP United, 1-0, during their game in the 2016 NMIFA Youth Spring League last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Harry Huh made the dagger with less than a minute left in the 80-minute match. Huh delivered the winning goal, as he was temporarily left open to attack when MP United players, in their eagerness to score, loaded the other half of the pitch. Huh capitalized on MP United’s defensive lapse and went for the shot, which was partially blocked by goalie Clayton Izuka, but still rolled in.

The win was Paire’s first in the season after dropping its opener against Matansa early last month. The victory was also the first for Paire against MP United in the last two or three years of the youth league (boys division’s higher age group).

Before absorbing the sorry loss, MP United won its first two games this season to take the lead in the U17 age group. It had a chance to score first against Paire early in the second half, but Edwin Kim’s penalty shot went wide to the right.

In the other boys U17 division match, Matansa cruised past Kanoa, 8-0, to bag its first win in two games.

Jun Sik Kim lifted Matansa to the easy win after drilling a hat-trick. Evan Belcher and Jamesbonie Valdez added two goals apiece, while Carlson Cruzat added one.

Kim tallied back-to-back goals (fifth and 22nd minute), while Belcher duplicated the feat in the 34th and 36th before Valdez closed out for Matansa in the first half with his goal in the 39th for a commanding 5-0 advantage. Valdez also logged Matansa’s first goal in the second half with his shot in the 62nd minute, while Cruzat and Kim hit the board in the 67th and 74th.

BOYS U14
Paire 5, Kanoa 4
Paire had a fruitful Week 3 in the youth league, as it also won its boys U14 match against Kanoa.

With the victory, Paire earned a 2-0-1 win-draw-loss record, the same mark Matansa, MP United, and Tan Holdings have.

Kaden Church registered the winning goal in the 64th minute to complete a hat-trick. His two other goals came in the 34th and 55th minute. Raffy Lee nailed the other goal for Paire in the 63rd minute, while the team also got a goal in the 45th off a Kanoa error.

Kanoa lost despite taking a 3-1 halftime lead. Sebastien Manabat, Kirk Andon and Ian Karl Maniago lit up the board in the fifth, eighth, and 23rd minute to give Kanoa a good start. However, the team could not keep the momentum in the second half, as only Maniago scored in the final frame, while Church led Paire’s comeback bid.

Tan Holdings 6, Matansa 1
Tan Holdings notched its second straight win after dropping its season debut following a rout against Matansa.

Mark Esalan paced Tan Holdings with his double, while Joshua Waldo, Taka Borja, John Paul Cruz, and Agelo Batino contributed one goal apiece. Iverson Santos recorded the lone goal for Matansa.

Esalan earned his pair in back-to-back fashion (second and 23rd minute), while Waldo scored in the 31st for a 3-1 Tan Holdings lead. Matansa avoided a shutout in the first half when Santos found the back of the net in the 16th minute.

Tan Holdings went on to add three more runs in the second half with Borja lighting up the board in the 38th and Cruz and Batino doing the same in the 49th and 68th.

MP United 12, Shirley’s 1
MP United also won a lopsided match against Shirley’s FC.

Rintaro Miyawaki, Reginal Pascual, and Oliver Lee posted three goals apiece for MP United, which got two goals from Go Sekiguchi and one from Jason Quimzon. Shirley’s lone goal came from Brandon Tenorio.