Matansa, TanHoldings win opening matches

Terrance Evan Belcher scored a hat-trick in Matansa’s 11-2 demolition of Paire in the opening game in the boys U17 division of the NMIFA fall league last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Matansa Football Club and TanHoldings got off to a good start in the boys U17 division of the 2016 NMIFA Youth Fall League after posting contrasting wins last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Matansa and Paire opened the action in the division with the former cruising to an 11-2 victory. CNMI youth team mainstay Terrance Evan Belcher and Jun Sik Kim powered Matansa to the one-sided win after scoring three goals apiece. Four other Matansa players made it to the board with Jether Yobech chipping in two and Lolobeyong Benito, Ray Lieto, and Joshua De Leon contributing one each. Paire drew its two goals from Dai Podziewski and Saixian Bagsic.

Six goals in a span of 14 minutes helped Matansa set up the easy win. Yobech started Matansa’s string of shots with his goal in the fourth minute, while Kim got his first three minutes later. Yobech then lit up the board anew in the eighth minute, while Belcher logged his first in the 10th. The next two goals both came from Kim, as he completed the hat-trick in the first half after scoring in the 11th and 14th minute.

Matansa went on to wrap up the opening 40 minutes of play with a commanding 8-1 advantage as Benito and Lieto joined the spree after hitting their targets in the 28th and 30th minute, respectively. Paire avoided a shutdown in the first half when Podziewski broke the ice for his team in the 37th minute.

After being held to one goal in the opening half, Belcher finished strong for Matansa, recording a brace with his conversion in the 50th and 71st minute. Matansa’s other goal in the second half came in the 54th minute off Lieto’s shot, while Bagsic posted the last goal in the match after finding the back of the net in the 77th minute.

In the second game, TanHoldings nosed out spring season champion MP United, 2-1.

Louis Calayag knocked in the go-ahead goal in the 48th minute, while Anthony Fruit nailed the team’s other goal in the 25th minute.

Sun Joon Tenorio hit the board in the 31st minute for MP United’s only goal in its season-opening game.

MP United topped last season’s competition and took the U17 championship (for the first time after the league had the U18 age group contest in the past several years) after finishing the double-round robin play with a 6-1-1 win-draw-loss record. Matansa was ranked second with its 5-1-2 slate and was followed by TanHoldings (5-0-3), Paire (2-0-6), and Kanoa (1-0-7).

Meanwhile, games in the division will continue this Saturday with Kanoa playing its first game of the season against TanHoldings at 9am. In the second match at 10:40am, it will be Matansa versus MP United.