Kanoa triumphs; TanHoldings draws Paire

TanHoldings FC’s Taro Goto scored a hat trick in their 9-9 draw against Paire FC during the opening week of the co-ed U12 division game in the NMIFA youth fall league last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kana Football Club stunned defending champion MP United 1 in the opening week of the 2016 NMIFA Youth Fall League after coasting to a 4-0 victory in their co-ed U12 competitive division game last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field.

Four different players hit the board for Kanoa to shut down MP United, which has won the division title in the last three occasions after sweeping the spring and fall seasons of 2015 and ruling this year’s spring.

Jaydee Jose handed Kanoa its first goal in Week 1 after finding his target in the fourth minute, while John Mark Anastacio made it a 2-0 advantage for the eventual winning team after lighting up the board in the 15th minute. Kanoa went on to close the first half with a 3-0 lead, thanks to Markus Toves’ shot two minutes before the opening 30 minutes of play expired.

Markus’ brother, Merrick also scored just two minutes into the second half, while MP United continued to fire blanks in the final frame to drop its season opener.

In the other U12 competitive division game, Paire FC and TanHoldings FC went back and forth and had to settle for a draw, 9-9.

Oliver Fajardo saved the day for TanHoldings as he collected four goals, three of them came in succession with the last one forcing the standoff. TanHolding, which won the first co-ed U12 championship (2014 fall season) before MP United took the next three, also drew a hat trick from Taro Goto and two from Jolo Pulido.

Paire, on the other hand, got two goals each from Justin Weaver, Dylan Mister, and Maui Johnson, and Erin Frink and one from Max Church.

Weaver put Paire on the board with his shot in the 8th minute, while Goto answered in the 16th minute for the first deadlock. Goto made it two in a row with his conversation in the 18th minute, but Paire evened the game quickly as Weaver also nailed his second straight goal two minutes later.

The seesaw battle continued as Pulido scored in the 25th minute to hand TanHoldings the lead anew before Mister countered in the 29th to knot the count. Fajardo’s first goal in the 31st minute gave TanHoldings the upper hand anew, but Paire stole the driver’s seat when Johnson and Frink hit the board in the 34th and 44th minute, respectively. Paire’s stay at the top was short-lived as a minute later Pulido connected the game-tying goal, but the former reclaimed the lead after Frink scored anew a few seconds later.

Paire then gained more cushion, 7-5, when Johnson earned his second goal in the 46th minute, but Goto cut the deficit to one anew with his shot in the 47th. Paire went on to post its biggest lead in the match, 9-6, thanks to Mister and Church, who found the back of the net in the 48th and 52nd minute, respectively.

However, Paire failed to hang on to the lead, as it could not contain Fajardo, who had a string of three goals, making his first in the 53rd and the last two in the 57th and final minute of the 60-minute exciting match.

Meanwhile, games in the division will resume this Saturday with TanHoldings challenging Kanoa at Pitch A at 12:30pm. Over at Pitch B at the same time, MP United 2 will have its season debut against Paire.