Shirley’s bags U15 crown; TanHoldings boosts title bid

A Shirley’s FC player, right, dribbles past a Southern United defender during their game in the girls U15 division of the NMIFA youth league at the Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School Field last month. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Shirley’s Football Club clinched the girls U15 division championship, while TanHoldings FC zeroed in on the co-ed U12 title in the NMIFA Youth Spring League.

Shirley’s secured the division crown after a 2-0 victory over TanHoldings last Saturday at the Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School Field. Shirley’s finished the round-robin spring season with a perfect 6-0-0 record. Lilian Podziewski and Katherine Magat scored the two goals for Shirley’s, which gained its fifth straight title in the age group.

In the two other matches in the division, Southern United and MP United ended the season on a winning note. Southern pulled off a 1-0 win over Paire FC, while MP United downed Matansa, 5-0.

MP United was ranked third in the division with its 3-1-2 win-draw-loss record, behind Kanoa (5-0-1). Southern, which joined the girls U15 competition for the first time, placed fourth with its 2-1-3 slate, winning its last two games. Paire (2-0-4), TanHoldings (1-0-5), and Matansa (1-0-5) completed the field.

Meanwhile, TanHoldings eased past Matansa, 11-1, in the co-ed U12 game at the Hopwood Junior High School Field last weekend to improve to a 5-1-1 record. TanHoldings is currently in second place behind MP United (5-2-1) and a victory against Kanoa-2 this Saturday will put the former on top for the division championship this season. MP United is done in the tournament following a 5-2 triumph against the third-running Kanoa-1 (4-1-2) in the other match last weekend at the Hopwood pitch.

Mark Joseph Roque, Anthony John Bergancia, and Angelo Pulido teamed up in giving TanHoldings its fifth win in the double-round-robin competition, Roque scored four goals, while Pulido and Bergancia added three apiece. Ariel Narvaez contributed one goal for TanHoldings, which was ahead by only one at halftime before pulling away in the second half against Matansa (1-0-5).

Matansa drew its lone goal from Alex Megino, who found his target in the 44th minute. TanHoldings’ only goal in the first half came from Bergancia and was made in the 17th minute. Pulido then hit back-to-back goals (32nd and 33rd) to start the second half, while Narvaes lit up the board in the 34th, and Bergancia got his second in the 35th. TanHoldings’ string of goals continued with Roque canning four straight shots, while Pulido and Bergancia scored the last two for their hat trick.

In the other co-ed U12 game, Cody Shimizu and Kristopher Pascual logged two goals each in MP United’s victory, while Garett Weaver chipped in one. Markus Toves and Jim Kirt Maniago had one goal apiece for Kanoa-1, which bowed out of contention for the division title after the loss.