Kanoa, MP United reign supreme

Kanoa Football Club’s Ruselle Zapanta, right, dribbles past the Thundercats’ Norman Camacho during an earlier Division B game in the M-League. Kanoa finished the fall season with an unbeaten 7-0-0 win-draw-loss record. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Kanoa Football Club and MP United FC earned perfect records in the fall season of the M-League en route to topping their respective divisions.

Kanoa finished first in Division B after posting a 7-0-0 win-draw-loss record. It completed its flawless run this season after easing past Shirley’s FC, 5-1, last Sunday at the Oleai Sports Complex Field.

Saixian Bagsic and Andruw Omelau powered Kanoa to victory in its last game after scoring two goals apiece. Rodwealth Espana chipped in one, while Shirley’s drew its lone goal from Northern Mariana Islands Football Association president Jerry Tan.

Omelau found his target early when he hit the board in the sixth minute, while Bagsic got his first 11 minutes later. Bagsic made it back-to-back when he converted a shot in the 27th minute, while Espana upped the lead to 4-0 with his goal in the 31st. Shirley’s (3-1-3) avoided a shutout when Tan lit up the board in the 34th minute, while Omelau closed out for Kanoa with his second goal with just a minute left before the 80-minute match wrapped up.

In other results in Division B, the Thundercats and Dragon FC also won their last match of the season.

The Thundercats stunned erstwhile undefeated CNMI Boys U16 National Team, 6-2, while Dragon FC edged the CNMI Women’s National Team, 7-6.

Timothy Tawanpiy and Josh Kim logged two goals apiece for the Thundercats, while Don Cabrera netted a penalty kick, and Hyun Jun Chung contributed one goal in the easy victory. Anthony Fruit registered both goals for the NMI U16.

Fruit drew first blood with his shot in the 28th minute, but the Thundercats quickly equalized off Tawanpiy’s goal a minute later. The Thundercats went on to take a 3-1 halftime advantage, thanks to Cabrera’s penalty shot and Chung’s goal in the 32nd and 40th minute, respectively. Tawanpiy made it a 4-1 lead when he found the back of the net right in the second minute of the final half, while Kim knocked in back-to-back goals (55th and 63rd minute). Fruit got his second goal in the closing minutes of the game.

With the upset, the Thundercats finished the season at third place with its 3-1-3 record. NMI U16 came in at second in the team standings with its 5-1-1 mark.

Dragon FC avoided the cellar after barging into the win column following its close victory against the CNMI Women’s National Team (0-1-5). Before the victory, Dragon FC dropped its first six games.

Qi Wei Wang lifted Dragon FC to its first victory after firing six goals. Feng Yu recorded the other goal for Dragon FC. Sarah Allen had six goals for the CNMI Women’s National Team, while Diana Maniacop chipped in two.

Meanwhile, MP United got a free win last Sunday after Korean Football Association on Saipan failed to field enough players for the game. With the easy victory, MP United finished Division A on top with its 7-0-0 slate.

MP United edged TanHoldings, which concluded the season with a 6-0-1 mark following its 3-0 triumph over Paire last weekend. Mareko Tekopua, Martin Jambor, and Sean Perez scored one goal apiece for TanHoldings.

In the other Division A game, Sun Palace settled for a draw against Matansa, 1-1. Sun Palace failed to close out the match with a victory after Matansa’s Hoin Ryu hit the equalizer in the 77th minute. Earlier in the 62nd minute, Guangzhi Jin gave Sun Palace the shaky lead.

With the draw, Sun Palace wrapped up the season with a 2-2-3 card for third place in the team standings, while Matansa dropped to fifth with its 1-1-6 mark. Paire (2-1-4) took the fourth spot, while KFAS was ranked last with its 1-0-5 slate.