Matansa draws first blood

Matansa Football Club’s Rommel Mendoza, right, dribbles ahead of a TanHoldings FC defender during the first half of their boys U15 division game in the 2018 NMIFA Fall Youth League last Friday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Matansa Football Club got the win in the first official game at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville after downing TanHoldings FC, 3-1, in the boys U15 division of the 2018 NMIFA Fall Youth League last Friday.

Lolobeyong Benito powered Matansa to its season-debut victory after scoring a pair, while Rommel Mendoza drilled the other goal for the team. Benito found his target early with his first goal in the fifth minute, while the second one came in the 47th. Mendoza made it three in a row for Matansa with his conversion in the 61th minute, while TanHoldings finally broke its silence, thanks to Sherwin Villanueva’s shot four minutes later.

In other results in the division, MP United FC cruised to a 5-0 victory.

Five different players scored for MP United with new recruit Kaden Church leading the squad’s balance attack, as he lit up the board right in the second minute of the one-sided match. MP United’s four other goals were also recorded in the first half with Jon Villagomez, Jason Quimson, Rinto Takahashi, and Richard Steele finding the back of the net in the seventh, 12th, 16th and 23rd minute, respectively.

After the easy win over Shirley’s ,MP United hopes to keep its momentum when it takes on Matansa today at 5:30pm. Then in the 7pm match, Kanoa FC will have its season debut against TanHoldings.

CO-ED U13A
TanHoldings 2, Matansa 2
TanHoldings and Matansa also collided in the first match in the co-ed U13 division at the training center and the duel ended in a draw.

Mark Joseph Roque delivered the equalizer for TanHoldings in the 51st minute and he also recorded the squad’s other goal in the 28th.

Matansa, on the other hand, drew one goal apiece from Jin Wen Xin and Achilles Vuthecen.

MP United 7, Kanoa-2 3
Andrew Chung was on target at the start of the season to lift MP United to victory.

The forward scored all of MP United’s goals, making five of them in the first half. Chung hit the board in the sixth, 17th, 22nd, 25th, 29th, 37th, and 58th minute.

Chad Escaner tallied two goals for Kanoa-2, scoring in the 14th and 55th, while Paul Lizama registered the other goal for the losing squad in the 16th.

Meanwhile, the boys U18 and girls U16 divisions will start the season this Saturday.

In the U18 age group, Matansa will face TanHoldings at the training center at 8:30am, while MP United will duel Kanoa in the second match at 10:15am.

In the girls U16, Matansa and Shirley’s FC will kick off a triple-header at the Koblerville main pitch at 1pm. The two other matches in the division will have Paire battling TanHoldings at 2:30pm and MP United challenging Southern United at 4pm.