TanHoldings zeroes in on U14 title

A TanHoldings FC player kicks the ball away from Matansa FC defenders during the first half of their boys U14 division game in the NMIFA fall league last Saturday at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

TanHoldings Football Club is likely to keep the boys U14 division title this year after extending its streak in the 2016 NMIFA Youth Fall League last Saturday at the Koblerville Elementary School Field.

TanHoldings, which ruled the 2016 spring season, walloped Matansa FC, 11-1, in the second match in the division to stay unbeaten (8-0-0 win-draw-loss) and virtually clinch the fall championship.

The spring champion is two wins ahead of its closest rival Kanoa FC (6-0-2) with the Top 2 teams each having two games left in the double-round robin season. The best thing that Kanoa could get out from its two remaining matches is to tie TanHoldings, provided the latter will drop its final two games. TanHoldings will face the third-ranked Paire (4-0-4) in its penultimate match this Saturday and cellar dweller Shirley’s (0-0-8) in its last assignment on Nov. 19. Kanoa’s final two matches are against Shirley’s and MP United (4-0-4).

Mark Esalan powered TanHoldings to its eighth straight victory after firing four goals. He gave the division leading team back-to-back goals in the first half after scoring in the fourth and 10th minute and then got two more in the same period with his third coming in the 26th minute and the fourth and last seven minutes later.

TanHoldings was way ahead after the first half, 6-1, as Kirro Batino and John Michael Rojas also hit the board in the 11th and 28th minute, respectively. Razeff Altamirano handed Matansa its lone goal in the match when he found his target in the 12th minute.

Ichiro Borja chipped in two goals in TanHoldings’ easy win, providing the finishing touches on the team’s lopsided victory with his back-to-back shots in a span of four minutes (61st and 65th minute). John Paul Cruz, Taka Borja, and Aloy Zeus Angeles made the three other goals for TanHoldings in the second half.

Kanoa 7, Paire 2
In the first game, Kanoa also eased past Paire.

Thomas Benavente and Jhoey Noble had two goals apiece for Kanoa, while Kirt Andon logged one. Kaden Church registered both goals for Paire.

The opposing teams took awhile before scoring with Kanoa breaking its silence with only four minutes left in the 35-minute first half, thanks to Benavente’s conversion. Benavente made it two in a row as he lit up the board anew in the 43rd, while Paire finally got its first goal in the 50th.

Another goal from Church in the 55th minute tied the match, but Paire still lost in the end when Andon earned his first goal a minute later and Noble followed it up with a pair in the 58th and 64th.

MP United 8, Shirley’s 1
In the final division game last weekend, MP United crushed Shirley’s.

Oliver Lee got MP United’s hot offensive game going as he completed a hat trick with just less than 15 minutes gone bye in the first half. Lee had his first goal right in the second minute and the next two in the fifth and 14th. A shot from David Myers Jr. in the 25th made it a 4-0 edge for MP United, while five minutes later Lee was at it again to pad their lead.

Jon Villagomez, Skyler Poon, and Rintaro Miyawaki finished things off for MP United with their goals in the 39th, 41st, and 64th minute, while Shirley’s avoided a shutout after drawing a goal from Rommel Mendoza in the 51st.