KFAS stuns Matansa, tops Division B

Edwin Kim, seen here attacking the defense of Shirley’s Football Club, scored one goal in Korean Football Association on Saipan’s 4-3 win against Matansa in the Division B finals of the M-League last Sunday at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Korean Football Association on Saipan dealt Matansa Football Club a heartbreaker after posting a 4-3 victory in the Division B finals of the M-League last Sunday’s at the Hopwood Middle School Field.

Chong Koo Gil hit the insurance for KFAS, making his second goal in the 81st minute of the title match to foil Matansa’s comeback bid in the second half.

The loss was first for Matansa, which swept the regular season and extended its winning run to seven after a 9-2 triumph over the CNMI Women’s National Team in the semifinals before KFAS beat the former in the most important match in the competition.

Matansa absorbed the disastrous defeat, as it could not get its offensive game going in the first half with one of its main scorers—Michiteru Mita—missing the finals. Mita left for Hong early Sunday morning to join the CNMI Boys U18 National Team in its training camp in Hong Kong.

Sans Mita, Matansa managed to score only one goal in the first 45 minutes of play against the three of KFAS. Gil posted the first goal in the match in the 21st minute, while Matansa’s lone goal was courtesy of Al-Amin Fnu in the 33rd minute.

Two minutes later, Jun Woo Lee broke the tie, while Edwin Kim stretched KFAS’s advantage to 2, 3-1, with his conversion in the 36th minute. KFAS hung on to keep the upper hand at the break, as Matansa failed to counter in the remaining nine minutes of the first half.

In the second half, Matansa moved within one anew when Jacob Montes-Sabino found the back of the net in the 54th minute. However, KFAS got the one goal back, thanks to Gil’s second conversion, which made the difference, as two minutes before the finale wrapped up Matansa’s Daniel Jay Duenas scored to cut the deficit to one. Matansa ran out of time to force another deadlock, while KFAs used the ticking clock to keep its shaky lead and win the division crown.

Meanwhile, the finalists in the Division A title game will be known this Sunday as four teams fight for survival.

In the first semis match at the Hopwood pitch at 12pm, No. 1 seed TanHoldings will take on Okadaya, while the Teen Ayuyus and Kanoa will duel in the other Final Four tiff at 3pm. Winners of Sunday’s pair of matches will collide in the finale set for Dec. 23. TanHoldings and the Teen Ayuyus automatically made it to the semis after their Top 2 finish at the end of the elimination round.Kanoa took the third Final Four ticket following a 3-0 win over Paire, and Okadaya got the last via its 3-0 forfeiture victory versus Sun Palace.