TanHoldings remains team to beat

A TanHoldings player intercepts the ball from a Kanoa player during their match of Division A of the M-League Spring 2021 held at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville last Sunday. (Contributed Photo)

TanHoldings Football Club remains No. 1 in the overall standings and is still the team to beat in Division A of the M-League Spring 2021 held at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

After taking a 3-2 victory over Kanoa FC last Sunday, TanHoldings has bumped its win-loss record for the season up to 8-0 with one draw.

TanHoldings has won eight of its nine games but isn’t the only team to remain unbeaten with TanHoldings’ runner-up, NMI Boys U18 National Team A, also unbeaten with a win-loss record of 5-0 with four draws.

However, TanHoldings still has five games to play before gaining the outright finals birth and automatically gaining a seat in the finals.

During the match last Sunday, a collaborative effort between Michiteru Mita, Mark Esalan, and Tomas Abel carried TanHoldings to victory.

Mita landed the first goal in the 20th minute to bring TanHoldings to the lead followed by a goal in the 30th minute from Esalan and Abel in the 38th minute.

However, Kanoa nearly caught up to TanHoldings behind Ian Maniago and Sebastian Manabat who landed goals back to back in the 50th and 57th minute. Unfortunately, their efforts fell short and they were unable to outplay TanHoldings.

DIVISION A
NMI U18 A 3, The One 0
In the match pitting the NMI Boys U18 National Team A against The One, NMI U18 A’s Akira Kadokura led the way his 2 goals with help from Reginald Pascual who landed one goal.

NMI U18 A took the lead in the first minute with a goal from Pascual. Kadokura followed it up with goals back to back in the 34th minute and in the 55th minute.

Paire 4, Old B Bank 1
Paire won the match against the Old B Bank behind Logan Mister’s two goals with help from Eric Barajas and Jireh Yobech who made one goal apiece.
Barajas took the lead for Paire in the 16th minute and Yobech widened the gap in the 60th minute. Mister landed his first goal in the 64th minute before landing his second in the 80th.

MP United 3, NMI U18 B 2
MP United’s Sunjoon Tenorio carried the team with his two goals with contribution from Joshua Abragan who added one.

Abragan landed the first goal in the 6th minute and Tenorio followed up with another in the 16th minute.

NMI U18 B’s Ezekiel Canape landed a goal for his team in the 46th minute but Tenorio made their win possible in the 67th minute.

In a last-ditch effort to turn the tables, NMI U18 B’s Anthony Bergancia landed a goal in the 73rd minute but it was not enough.

DIVISION B
Women’s National Team 2, Shirley’s FC 1
WNT’s Jannah Casarino led the way in the 40th minute but Shirley’s Dhiraj Chhetri brought the game to a draw in the 54th minute, 1-1.

Katrina Costales broke the tie in the 85th minute landing the final goal for the game.

Saipan United 5, Island Star 1
Saipan United’s Ichiro “T.J.” Borja showed the way with his four goals with help from Saixian Bagsic who made one goal.

Borja made his first three goals in the first 52 minutes of the match followed by a goal from Bagsic in the 53rd minute. Borja managed to squeeze in one final goal in the 72nd minute.