Sun Palace grabs division lead

Sun Palace moved from fifth to first place in the team standings in Division 2 of the M-League after winning back-to-back games last week at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Sun Palace’s Jun Sik Kim is surrounded by Thundercats defenders during the first half of their Division 2 game in the M-League last Sunday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.
(Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Sun Palace worked out a 2-1 victory over the Thundercats last Sunday to improve to a 6-3-2 win-draw-loss record (21 points). On April 22, Sun Palace also topped Kanoa, 3-1. With the twin wins, Sun Palace gained a slight edge over erstwhile leader Matansa, which owns a 6-2-2 slate (20 points).

Feng Chun Jin delivered the winning goal in Sun Palace’s sixth win after scoring in the 40th minute. Jun Sik Kim logged the other goal for Sun Palace with his shot in the 16th, while Don Cabrera nailed the equalizer for the Thundercats, who finished the double-round robin spring season with 4-3-5 record and are currently in fifth place in the seven-team field, heading into the last few games this week.

Matansa dropped to second place after falling to World Resort, 1-4.

Daniel Agulto lifted World Resort to the upset win with his hat-trick. Juanito Tiamzon scored the other goal for World Resort, while Kamrul Kamrul was the lone player to hit the board for Matansa.

With the surprise victory, World Resort jumped to fourth place as it now holds a 4-4-3 record.

Kanoa joined Matansa and Sun Palace in the three-team fight for the Division 2 championship as it improved to a 6-1-4 record (19 points) following a 5-3 victory against the CNMI Women’s National Team.

Owen Ji and Ho Jin Woo knocked in two goals each for Kanoa, while Davy Laxa added one. Diane Pablo also had two goals for the CNMI squad, which got an own goal in the second half off a miscue from Ji. Pablo and company have yet to win a single game this season and have two more opportunities to do so.

Meanwhile, in the lone Division 1 match last Sunday, Wild Bill’s downed MP United, 3-1, to keep its championship hopes alive.

Wild Bill’s now has a 7-0-2 record for second place behind idle and division leader Tan Holdings (8-0-1).

Tanapon Unsa posted two goals in Wild Bill’s seventh win, hitting the go-ahead in the 42nd and the insurance goal late in the second half. Tanyakorn Konkoed recorded Wild Bill’s first goal in the second minute, but MP United tied the match quickly off Zu Zheng’s shot one minute later.

MP United is still in third place in the team standings with its 4-1-3 record.

DOVE WOMEN’S LEAGUE
In the 2015 Dove Women’s Football League, Tan Holdings ended Shirley’s winning streak with a 2-1 victory in their game last Saturday.

Britany Wally and Chloe Salvosa registered one goal apiece for Tan Holdings, while Jeraldine Castillo logged Shirley’s only goal in the weekend match. Shirley’s had its 11-game winning run snapped, but remain on top of the team standings, while Tan Holdings also retained the second spot with its 8-3-1 record.

In the other women’s match last Saturday, Matansa and Paire settled for a 1-1 draw.

Guinevere Borja and Bernadette Horey scored for Paire and Matansa, respectively, in the second half. With the draw, Matansa still has one win to show in 11 games and is in sixth place in the team standings with its three draws and seven losses, while Paire is at the cellar with its 1-1-8 slate.