MP United moves up to solo second place

MP United Football Club notched its third win and climbed up to second place in the team standings in the 2014 NMIFA Women’s League after defeating Matansa FC, 3-1, last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Kaylani Lebria, Julien Estopado, and Kayla Ito contributed one goal each for MP United, which improved to a 3-1-1 win-draw-loss record for a second place ranking behind the unbeaten Kanoa FC (5-0-0). Independents FC (3-0-2), Shirley’s (2-1-2), Paire (2-0-3), Matansa (2-0-4), and Tan Holdings (0-0-5) round out the team standings.

With Lebria and Estopado’s goals in the first half, MP United took the lead and never relinquished it, as Matansa only managed to score one goal off Kelsey Lizama’s conversion in the second half.

In the two other matches, Paire and Shirley’s FC downed separates foes.

Paire played in the second game and edged Tan Holdings FC, 2-1. Natalie Hill drilled both goals for Paire, as she found the back of the net in the 20th minute and scored anew five minutes later. Tan Holdings had its only goal also in the first half with Christine Aninzo escaping from her defenders for a shot in the 35th minute.

In the last match of the night, Shirley’s topped Independents FC, 3-1. Shirley’s got the three goals from different players with Angie Ito drawing first blood, lighting up the scoreboard in the 11th minute. Five minutes later, it was Negahr Rastguiy’s turn to give Shirley’s a goal and the team closed out the half with a 2-0 advantage. Alexa Vergara then made it a 3-0 lead with her goal early in the second half, while Independents FC avoided a shutout, thanks to Sarah Allen’s shot in the 59th minute.

M-League returns
to action
Meanwhile, M-League games resumed last Sunday after last week’s matches wave rained-out.

Wild Bill’s and Tan Holdings FC dueled in the first match and settled for a 1-1 draw. Jack Thoensaket put Wild Bill’s on the board in the 70th minute, but could not lift the team to the win, as Joe Miller came out with the equalizer seven minutes before the match wrapped up.

The second game between Kanoa FC and Paire FC also ended in a draw (0-0), while MP United and the Thundercats gained separate wins in the last two tiffs. Zhi Peng Lin scored right into the last minute of the match to power MP United to the close win against Matansa, while the Thundercats routed the CNMI Women’s National Team, 6-1. Timothy Tawanpiy had four goals for the Thundercats, making the team’s first three goals. He recorded goals in the 29th, 43rd, and 65th, before bagging his fourth in the 80th. Don Cabrera and Jeremy Lee logged the two other goals for the Thundercats and they both came in the second and final frame.