Hawaiian Rock, Teen Ayuyus edge foes

CNMI U16 National Team’s Joshua Abragan, left, and Thaiphi Austria close in on Kanoa FC’s Rodwealth Espana during their Division 1 game in the M-League last Sunday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Hawaiian Rock and the CNMI U16 National Team scored two goals apiece to win their respective debuts in the Division 1 of the M-League last Sunday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field.

Trey Dunn and Suguru Takahashi scored for Hawaiian Rock, which shut down TanHoldings in the third match in the division. Dunn drew first blood with his shot in the 45th minute, while Takahashi found his target three minutes later.

In the second game, Thaiphi Austria knocked in the go-ahead goal for the CNMI U16 in the 44th minute to lift the Teen Ayuyus to a 2-1 triumph over Kanoa FC. Joshua Abragan made the other goal for the CNMI U16 with his coversion in the 29th minute.

Kanoa dropped its debut despite hitting the board first off Ben Poon’s goal in the eighth minute.

In other results in Division 1, MP United eased past Sun Palace, 5-0.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association technical director Michiteru Mita debuted in the M-League and powered MP United to the lopsided victory after drilling a hat trick. He logged his goals in succession and all were made in the second half, which started with MP United just up by one. Young Ju Lee recorded MP United’s first goal in the 25th minute, while Evan Belcher had the team’s last in the closing stage of the second half.

DIVISION 2
Kanoa 4, Women’s NT 2
In the first game in the division last Saturday, Kanoa topped the CNMI Women’s National Team.

Ian Maniago nailed a pair of goals for Kanoa, while Kirt Andon and Taka Borja chipped in one apiece. Maniago scored first for the winning squad with his shot in the eighth minute, while Andon had his lone goal seven minutes later. Kanoa made it three in a row in the first half when Maniago got his second goal in the 20th minute, while Taka handed the squad a 4-0 advantage with his shot in the opening minute of the second half.

As for the Women’s NT, Guinevere Borja finally broke the team’s silence in the 50th minute, while Bernadette Horey earned one more for the losing squad in the 55th minute.

Shirley’s-2 3, Matansa 1
Jack Phan registered two goals to lift Shirley’s-2 to a victory over Matansa.

Phan recorded his first goal in the 12th minute and the second in the 38th. Hoin Ryu scored the other goals for Shirley’s in the 20th minute, while Matansa avoided a shutout, thanks to Anamul Haque’s shot in the 43rd.

Shirley’s-1 2, KFAS 2
In the first game in the division, Shirley’s-1 and Korean Football Association on Saipan settled for a draw.

Gota Kawakami posted the pair of goals for Shirley’s-1 with his first coming in the 25th minute and the second in the final half of the match. Edwin Kim duplicated Kawakami’s feat to help KFAS force the standoff.

Meanwhile, Sun Palace won its debut via default as the Thundercats failed to field enough players for the 8 vs 8 game. The Thundercats had only four players available for its first game of the season.