Astig Futsal hands Konflikt first loss

Astig Futsal denied Konflikt a sweep of the first round of the 2011 Saipan Soccer School Youth Futsal League after pulling off a 5-3 victory in their boys U15 division game last Tuesday night at the TSL Sports Complex.

Astig Futsal was aggressive on counter attacking and showed more quickness on breakaway plays to improve to a 2-0 record and end Konflikt’s two-game winning run in the four-team field.

Sean Perez and Jeff Palacios scored two goals each in the second half to power Astig Futsal to its second win, one victory away from sweeping the first round. Astig Futsal will close out the first round of the double-round robin competition with a game against We-D-Fly tonight at 6:30pm.

William Hinson II logged the other goal for the Jershwin Angeles-coached Astig Futsal, finding the back of the net in the first half, which ended in a deadlock. Jehn Joyner put Konflikt in the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes of the match.

Then in the second half, Astig Futsal broke the tie, as Perez and Palacios managed to pull away from their defenders. Palacios’ first goal in the second half was a notable one, as he went for a kick near midcourt and it went straight to its target. Perez’ two goals came from counter-attacks.

Enrico Del Rosario and Dakota Hall had one goal each for Konflikt in the second half, but the rest of the team struggled, as they either overshot their mark or made moves when Astig Futsal’s defense was already set up.

Before facing the then undefeated Konflikt, Astig Futsal debuted in the league with a huge 12-0 win over Shirley’s Boys last Sunday. Palacios canned four goals in their first game, while Hinson, Jireh Yobech, and Tanapon Unsa added two each. Also scoring for Astig Futsal were Perez and Greg Sablan.

Meanwhile, Konflikt’s first two victories came against Shirley’s Boys and We-D-Fly. During the opening of the league on Dec. 15, Konflikt shut out Shirley’s Boys, 12-0. Joyner had a hat-trick in their debut win, while Kennedy Izuka, Hall, and Andrew Johnson contributed two goals apiece. Del Rosario, John Taisacan, and Kenneth Dominga scored one each.

Joyner led Konflikt anew in their second game, nailing four goals in the team’s 4-1 triumph against We-D-Fly last Saturday. Del Rosario posted Konflikt’s other goal against We-D-Fly, while Brian Lee drained all three goals for We-D-Fly.

All four teams entered in the boys U15 will play six games with the squad with the most wins after the double-round competition getting the division championship. In case of a tie, the team with the most goals prevails.