Church, 2 TanHoldings players on top

Paire Football Club’s Max Church, right, dribbles away from his teammate and an MP United 2 defender during the second half of their co-ed 12 competitive division game in the NMIFA fall youth league last Saturday at the Hopwood Junior High School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Pair Football Club’s Max Church and TanHoldings FC’s Kohtaro Goto and Oliver Fajardo are ahead in the early race for the Golden Boot award in the co-ed U12 competitive division of the 2016 NMIFA Youth Fall League.

Church, Goto, and Fajardo have collected five goals apiece after Week 2 of the league with the former catching up with the two TanHoldings players following his four-goal production in Paire’s 9-3 rout of MP United 2 last Saturday. Church’s other goal was made in their 9-9 draw against TanHoldings in the opening week of the competition.

Fajardo, on the other hand, bagged four goals for TanHoldings in Week 1, while Goto started the season by knocking in three goals. Goto added two in their 3-5 loss to Kanoa last weekend, while Fajardo posted the other goal in the defeat.

Not far behind Fajardo, Goto, and Church are the latter’s teammates Dylan Mister and Maui Johnson, who have earned four goals each. Mister got two goals apiece in their game against TanHoldings and MP United 2 and Johnson had the same record.

Seven other players in the division have made it to NMIFA’s goal tracker list with Paire’s Justin Weaver, TanHoldings’ Angelo, Kanoa’s Jaydee Jose, and MP United 2’s Garrett Weaver registering two each, and Kanoa’s Merrick Toves and Ian Lubao and MP United 2’s Leopoldo Naraja recording one apiece.

In the girls U15 age group, there is also a three-way tie among Matansa’s Lyka Sally and Guinevere Borja, and Kanoa’s Toremy Diaz. Lyka had three goals in their 8-0 beating of TanHoldings in Week 1 and tallied one in their 4-6 loss to Shirley’s last weekend. Borja scored two each in their first two games, while Diaz posted all four in their 7-0 thrashing of TanHoldings in Week 2.

Shirley’s FC’s Diana Manacop, Katrna Coastales, and Lillian Podziewski, MP United’s Gillian Gillavomez, and Matansa’s Angel Sally have two each to make it to the Top 10.

In the boys U17 division, Matansa’s Jun Sik Kim is alone on top with his five goals, carding three in their 11-2 whipping of Paire and two more in their draw against MP United in Week 2. Lurking behind Kim is his teammate Evan Belcher and TanHoldings’ Louie Calayag, who have three each. Belcher got his three goals in the season-opening win, while Calayag recorded one and two in TanHoldings 2-1 win over MP United and 5-0 victory versus Kanoa.

Meanwhile, Kaden Church’s four goals in Paire’s 6-2 win over MP United gave him a head start in the boys U14 division. Kaden leads Matansa’s Razeff Altamirano, Glenn Mark Basallo, and Iverson Santos and TanHoldings’ Kirro Batino and Mark Esalan, who have two goals each. Eight other players made it to the board in the opening week of the division.