Division leaders win; Shirley’s nips Sun Palace

Shirley’s Football Club’s Jerry Tan, left, deflect a kick from a Sun Palace player during their Division B game in the 2018 Spring M-League last Sunday at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. (Contributed Photo)

Pacesetters MP United and Korean Football Association on Saipan extended their winning run, while Shirley’s Football Club is also on roll in the 2018 Spring M-League.

MP United notched its eighth victory in as many games after beating Okadaya, 4-1, in the final game in Division A at the Hopwood Middle School Field last Sunday. Four different players scored for MP United with Michiteru Mita giving their team a 1-0 halftime lead after finding the back of the net in the 42nd minute.

Okadaya then managed to equalize in the 50th minute off Yoshi Mafnas’ shot before Sunjoon Tenorio put MP United on top anew in the 68th, while Joshua Abragan and Raymond Mercado delivered the two other goals for the winning squad in the 75th and 86th, respectively.

With another victory, MP United enjoys a two-win lead over TanHoldings, boosting the former’s chances for the outright semis berth in the division. The top finisher after the elimination will automatically move into the Final Four, while the No. 2 to No. 7 teams will battle for the three remaining semis tickets.

Joining MP United and TanHoldings in the standings are the Teen Ayuyus (3-3-3), Paire (3-1-4), Okadaya (2-1-5), Winners & Pacific (0-2-5), and Kanoa (0-2-5).

Teen Ayuyus 3, Kanoa 2
The Teen Ayuyus nosed out Kanoa in the second game in Division A.

The winning squad gained enough cushion in the first half to withstand Kanoa’s rally. The Teen Ayuus scored three goals in the opening 45 minutes of play—two came from Rintaro Miyawaki and one from Joshua Waldo.

After being silent in the entire first half, Jether Yobech put Kanoa on the board in the 47th minute, while Ian Maniago handed the team its second goal four minutes later.

Paire 3, Winners & Pacific 0
Paire also recorded its third win this season after prevailing against Winners & Pacific in the curtain-raiser.

Paire was awarded the victory via forfeiture, as Winners & Pacific did not have enough players to continue the game after Junsik Kim got injured in the 38th minute. Before a bad break caught up with Winners & Pacific, Paire was clinging to a 1-0 lead in the match, as Yogesh Singh earlier scored in the eighth minute.

DIVISION B
KFAS 17, PIC 0
KFAS showed no mercy to Pacific Islands Club Saipan to move up to a perfect 9-0-0 mark.

Oliver Lee led KFAS’ demolition of PIC after firing seven goals, while Juan Oh added five in the game played at the Koblerville Elementary School Field.

KFAS, which is already assured of one of the two outright semis berths in the division, is way ahead of Matansa (6-1-2), Shirley’s (4-0-5), Sun Palace (3-1-5), CNMI Women’s U16 National Team (3-1-5), and PIC (0-1-8). The Top 2 teams after the regular season will advance to the semis, while the bottom four will fight for the two remaining Final Four berths.

Shirley’s 1, Sun Palace 0
Shirley’s bagged its third win in a row after edging Sun Palace in the final game in the division last weekend.

Jun Liu registered the lone goal in the match in the 28th minute to stretch Shirley’s streak, which started last April 22 when it defeated PIC, 5-3. Shirley’s then topped the U16 WNT, 5-1, last April 29, while the former’s other victory this season was also versus PIC, 4-0 (March 11).

Matansa 8, U16 WNT 0
Matansa took win No. 6 after blanking the U16 WNT in the first match in the division.

Amzad Khan towed Matansa to the easy win after making a hat trick. He scored back-to-back with his goals in the 32nd and 33rd minute, while his third came in the 50th. Kamrul Kamrul chipped in two goals, while Romel Mendoza, Kawsar Hamid, and Young Ha Hwang contributed one each.