Fake Madrid II takes U12 crown

Fake Madrid II coach Chris Aninzo, standing left, and his players pose with their championship trophy after beating Kanoa Ali’i in the finals of the co-ed U12 division of the 2016 Saipan Soccer School Christmas Youth Futsal Tournament last Friday at the TSL Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)

Fake Madrid II nipped Kanoa Ali’i, 3-2, in the finals to bring home the co-ed U12 division crown in the 2016 Saipan Soccer School Christmas Youth Futsal Tournament last Friday at the TSL Sports Complex.

Rohan Basnet stood out in the close win, as he made all three goals for the unbeaten Fake Madrid II. The striker drilled two of his three goals off Rintaro Miyawaki and Kohtaro Goto’s assists. Other members of the champion team were goalie Oliver Fajardo, Julianne Hall, Tori Weaver, and Jeremiah Diaz.

Kanoa Ali’i missed the division title after drawing only one goal apiece from Brian Lubao and Jaydee Jose. Completing the Kanoa Ali’i roster were Ian Lubao, Daniel Pablo, Nicole Carag, Bengee Bearden, Christian Guerrero, Codie Forbes, Zenn Ichiro Tomokane, Lowell Lumauag, and Tricia Rabago.

The Cristy Villaflor-coached Kanoa Ali’i moved into the title game after outgunning sister squad Kanoa Mighty Orange in the shootout in their semis match, 3-0. The two Kanoa squads were forced to play in a shootout after their Final Four showdown ended in a tie at regulation, 8-all.

Brian Lubao made five goals in the semis tiff, while Jaydee Jose chipped in two. Kanoa Ali’i got an own goal from Kanoa Mighty Orange’s miscue. Markus Toves led Kanoa Mighty Orange’s losing effort with his three goals, while Paulynn Joyce contributed two, and Merrick Toves, Devin Propst, and John Mark Anastacio tallied one each.

In the other semis pairing, the top-ranked Fake Madrid II waltzed past Gene Weaver’s team.

Miyawaki was the star in Fake Madrid II’s easy semis win after firing five goals. Basnet backed Miyawaki up after nailing a hat trick, while Goto recorded two. Garette Weaver and Dylan Kim had one goal each for Gene Weaver’s Team.

Gene Weaver’s Team ended up in fourth place, as Kanoa Mighty Orange won the consolation match in the division, 10-3. Anthony Bergancia posted four goals for Kanoa Mighty Orange, while Joyce and Merrick chipped in three apiece. Weaver, Kim, and Christopher had one goal each for Gene Weaver’s Team.

Meanwhile, Joyce and Basnet were named Golden Boot winners in the co-ed U12 division after scoring 4 and 12 goals, respectively, in the round-robin elimination. In the U16 division, the Golden Boot awards went to Newcastle FC’s Mareko Tekopua and Guinevere Borja. Tekopua had a tournament-high 16 goals, while Borja registered 13. Completing the awardees list were Kanoa Ali’i (U16) and Gene Weaver’s Team, which got the Fair Play trophies.