Saipan Tribune

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Two in a row for Matansa

The M-League resumed last Wednesday night at the Oleai Sports Complex Field with Matansa FC shutting out Shirley's FC, 3-0.

With the victory, Matansa gained a share of the Division 2 lead with MP United, as the co-leaders are undefeated in two games. Shirley's absorbed its third loss in a row to remain at the bottom of the team standings. Kanoa Resort completes the field and is also winless in two games.

The Matansa-Shirley's tiff was the last match in M-League's Week 4 schedule and was the first game played in about two weeks. Week 3 matches (Oct. 7 and 10) and the first three games in Week 4 (Oct. 14) were cancelled due to the inclement weather.

When Matansa, which won over Kanoa in Week 2, returned to the pitch, Dhiraj Chhetri broke the ice for the former, scoring in the 17th minute. Matansa preserved the 1-0 cushion at the break, as Shirley's continued to play sluggish on offense after a long break.

Shirley's slump was extended in the second half, while Matansa scored two more goals to complete the easy win. Alji Mandampala found the back of the net right into the first minute of the second half, while Ho Jin Woo also made it to the scoreboard a few minutes later.

Meanwhile, two Division 1 games and one Division 2 will be played tomorrow at the Oleai pitch. In the first game at 2pm, Wild Bill's will take on Inter Godfather's, while Korean Football Association on Saipan will challenge Tan Holdings FC in the second match at 4pm. For the Division 2 tiff at 6pm, Kanoa Resort will face Matansa FC.

Wild Bill's has a 1-0-0 win-draw-loss record, getting its first win against Tan Holdings FC, 3-2, while Inter Godfather's has a 1-0-1 slate. Tan Holdings also has a 1-0-1 card, recording its lone victory against Inter Godfather's, while KFAS owns a 1-0-0 mark, winning over Paire FC in the opener.

The fall season of the M-League will have a double-round robin format with the No. 1 finisher in Division 1 getting the championship and the last placer dropping to Division 2. The top finisher in Division 2 will then be promoted to Division 1.