Kanoa FC gains twin titles

Kanoa Football Club bagged a pair of championships after ruling the girls U16 and women’s U19 divisions of the 2019 NMIFA Spring Youth League.

Kanoa first clinched the women’s U19 crown after crushing Southern United Football Club, 11-1, in last Friday’s futsal game at the TSL Sports Complex. The victory was the seventh in as many games for Kanoa, which moved two wins ahead of MP United Football Club with each team having only one game left in the double-round robin competition. Kanoa will close out the season tomorrow when it faces Matansa in a make-up game at 5:30pm while MP United will have its last match versus Southern United at 6:40pm.

Sharmaine Francisco led Kanoa’s easy victory in their penultimate game after scoring five goals, while Paulynn Joyce and Theresa Toves also delivered multiple goals for the division champions. Francisco drilled back-to-back goals to jumpstart Kanoa’s offense and made three more in the second half, while Joyce contributed a pair. Toves wrapped up the one-sided match for Kanoa with her three straight goals, while Kriselle Tuazon contributed one. Marinel Joy Falalimpa posted the only goal for Southern United.

In the other U19 game last Friday, Matansa edged TanHoldings, 2-1.

Barbara Peteru drilled the go-ahead in the 45th minute and also registered Matansa’s other goal in the first half. Mia Carreon recorded the equalizer for TanHoldings seven minutes before Peteru broke the deadlock.

Meanwhile, Kanoa also earned a close 2-1 triumph over Southern United to secure the girls U16 division championship last Saturday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

Kanoa finished the two-round robin contest with an 8-1-1 win-draw-loss record, just slightly ahead of Southern United’s 7-2-1.

Southern United, which blew its chances for the division title in their penultimate game last May 4 after setting for a draw against TanHoldings (2-2), incidentally needed at least a draw versus Kanoa to force a playoff for the championship.

The crucial match seemed to be headed that way when Mariana Castro scored for Southern United in the 11th minute and Francisco knotted the count six minutes later. The scores remained tied in the remainder of the first half until past the halfway mark of the second before Francisco came to Kanoa’s rescue with a dagger in the 67th minute.

Holding a shaky lead and with division title on the line, Kanoa did everything it can to prevent Southern United from making a comeback in the final minutes of the deciding match.

In other results in the division, TanHoldings and MP United won their last game of the season.

TanHoldings pulled off a 1-0 triumph over Paire, thanks to Mary Joy Aniana’s goal in the 64th minute. MP United, on the other hand, got a free win after Matansa failed to come up with enough players for the match.