Back-to-back for Matansa

Matansa Football Club’s Juhn Tenorio, seen here receiving a pass from his teammate during an earlier game against Island Star, scored in their 4-3 win over Shirley’s Football Club in the Marianas Soccer League2 Summer Season last Friday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Contributed photo)

Matansa Football Club notched its second straight win after nosing out Shirley’s Football Club, 4-3, in their match in the Marianas Soccer League 2 Summer Season last Friday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

Zaw Moe delivered the game-winner, as he knocked in a penalty shot in the 70th minute or just two minutes after Shirley’s also converted a PK, courtesy of Jin Guang Zhi, to tie the game.

Matansa’s tough win over Shirley’s came after the former shut down Island Star, 2-0, in Week 4 of the league. Matansa opened the season with a 2-6 loss at the hands of division leader Saipan United.

Matansa moved up to the third spot in the team standings of the eight-team field, while Shirley’s remains at the cellar, as it has only one victory so far and has lost four matches.

Besides Moe, Miles Linden and Jhun Tenorio also contributed in Matansa’s second win. Linden had a pair of goals with his first recorded in the 10th minute and the second in the 39th. Tenorio scored his goal in the 37th minute to force the second deadlock in the game.

Earlier in the sixth minute, Jeremiah Benavente put Shirley’s in the lead and after Linden knotted the count for the first time four minutes later, Xin Wen Jin regained the lead for their team when he found the back of the net in the 19th minute. The seesaw battle between Shirley’s and Matansa continued, but the latter had the last say, thanks to Moe’s PK.

In other results in the MSL2, Bangladesh FC broke into the win column after topping The One FC last Sunday, 5-2.

Bangladesh FC, which came from a sorry 2-3 loss to Saipan United in Week 4, this time got the elusive victory when three of its players scored last weekend.

Rakib Hassan fired three goals for Bangladesh FC, while Abdul Luvlu Shahanewaz and Md. Sohel Akanda chipped in one apiece.

Hassan made his twin goals in the first half (sixth and 26th minute), while Shahanewaz got his in the eighth minute for Bangladesh FC’s 3-1 halftime lead. Timothy Tawanpiy tallied the lone goal for The One FC in the first half (second minute) and also handed the squad its second and last (67th). Hassan, on the other hand, completed his hat trick in the 47th minute, while Akanda closed out for Bangladesh FC in the 60th.

Meanwhile, Paire FC and the NMI Boys U18 National Team both defeated MP United FC in similar scores, 3-0. The NMI U18 first blanked MP United last Thursday, while Paire notched the easy win last Sunday.

Paire remains on top of the MSL standings with its 4-0-0 win-draw-loss record, while the NMI U18 is lurking at second place, as the squad is also undefeated after three games.