GTC vs Mt. Carmel in ISL finale

Mt. Carmel School’s Andrew Sablan and a Garapan Elementary School player sprint as they go for the ball during their semis game in the boys division of the 2017 NMIFA Fall U11 Interscholastic Soccer League last Tuesday at the Hopwood Middle School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School and Mt. Carmel School took different routes to the finals of the boys division of the 2017 NMIFA Fall U11 Interscholastic Soccer League.

The Knights eased their way to today’s title match after shutting down Garapan School, 3-0, in last Tuesday’s semifinal game at the Hopwood Middle School Field. GTC, on the other hand, needed a shootout to slip past William S. Reyes Elementary School, 2-1, in the other Final Four match at the Hopwood pitch.

Carlson Cruzat and Miguel Sablan delivered the needed goals for the Binadu in the shootout. Sablan also scored GTC’s goal in regulation after finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute.

GTC kept the shaky lead the majority of the 20-minute second half until Romeo Hechanova saved the day for WSR with a goal three minutes before the match wrapped up. Neither team then hit the board in the closing minutes of the second half, sending the semis game in a shootout.

In the decider, WSR drew a goal from Izeah Jolo, but it was not enough to bring the Kingfishers to the finals, as GTC countered with Cruzat and Sablan’s shots.

GTC will go for the division crown against defending champion Mt. Carmel School today at 4:30pm, while WSR and Garapan will play in the battle for third place at 3:30pm

Mt. Carmel had an easier semis win against Garapan with Markus Toves and Andrew Sablan on target. Toves kicked things off for the Knights with his goal in the 27th minute, while Sablan finished what his teammate started, drilling back-to-back shots with the first coming in the 32nd minute and the second three minutes later.

The Knights are slightly favored in today’s finale as they have yet to lose a single game in the shortened tournament. Mt. Carmel had three wins and one loss in the single-elimination regular season to get the top seeding in the playoffs.

“I hope the players will continue what they were doing in our first five games—which is to work together. Some of our key players belong to a club so they definitely know how each other plays. We also have several new players and for some reasons, they blend well with our old players, so the team really works as one cohesive unit,” coach May Ling Colombo said.

“GTC is a tough team so I encourage the boys to play their best in the finals,” she added.

Meanwhile, the girls division finals will also be played today with Koblerville Elementary School facing WSR at 4:30pm. In the consolation game, it will be GTC versus Mt. Carmel at 3:30pm.