NMI U18, TanHoldings move to semis
The NMI Boys U18 National Team hammered Eleven Tiger, 15-0, to join TanHoldings Football Club in the semifinals round of the MSL Cup of the Marianas Soccer League Fall Season 2021.
The NMI U18 posted the lopsided victory last Wednesday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koberville to finish the short regular season with a 4-0-1 win-draw-loss record for second place in the team standings behind the unbeaten TanHoldings (5-0-0). With their Top 2 finish in the regular season, TanHoldings and the NMI U18 automatically advanced to the semis and left four other teams to battle for the two remaining semis tickets.
Paire (2-0-3), which was ranked No. 4 going into the playoffs, will square off against No. 6 Old B Bank (0-0-5) on Dec. 1 for the third semis berth and the right to face TanHoldings in the Final Four. No. 3 Kanoa (3-0-2), on the other hand, will collide with Eleven Tiger (1-0-4) for the Dec. 2 playoff match with the winner challenging the NMI U18. The semis matches are set for Dec. 5.
Capitalizing on the shorthanded Eleven Tiger, the NMI U18 secured win No. 4 early after scoring 10 goals in the first half of their one-sided match last week. Brian Lubao led the rout as he fired four goals. Reginald Pascual added three, while Akira Kadokura and Richard Steele chipped in two apiece.
Eleven Tiger, after suffering a bad beating from the NMI U18, returned to the pitch last Sunday and nosed out the Old B Bank, 5-4, to avoid a winless regular season.
It was a come-from-behind victory for Eleven Tiger, as the Old B Bank had the upper hand in the first half, 4-2, behind the goals of Suguru Takahashi. Bada Lee and Tanapon Unsa scored the two goals for Eleven Tiger in the first 45 minutes of the match and the latter delivered two more in the second half, including the go-ahead in the 59th minute to hand their team its first win. JC Piring also hit the board for Eleven Tiger in the second half, while the Old B Bank failed to counter to lose the lead and the chance to make it to the win column.
HAFA ADAI CUP
The One FC 5, Matansa 0
The One FC finished on top of Group A following a shutout win over Matansa last Friday.
Don Cabrera, Zhiqiang Lin, Seung Woo Lee, Zhipeng Lin, and Byung In Lee made one goal apiece to hand The One FC with a perfect 4-0-0 record in the regular season.
With its No. 1 rank in Group A, The One FC will take on Group B No. 4 finisher Kanoa (0-0-4) in the first round of the playoffs on Dec. 3.
Chang Bai Hu 6, Bangladesh FC 1
Chang Bai Hu will be ranked No. 2 in Group A after downing Bangladesh FC last Sunday and earning a 3-0-1 mark.
Ming Guang Xu scored all but one of Chang Bai Hu’s goal. The winning squad’s other goal came from Ri Cheng Xian, while Al-Amin Fnu made the lone goal for Bangladesh FC.
Chang Bai will face the NMI U18 Women’s National Team in the first round of the playoffs with their duel scheduled for Dec. 5, while Bangladesh FC (0-0-4) is done for the season.
Bangladesh Youth 2, WNT U18 0
Bangladesh Youth matched Chang Bai Hu’s 3-0-1 record after beating the WNT U18 last Friday.
Shakib Shakib and Mohamad Islam tallied the two goals for the Group B No. 2 rank Bangladesh Youth, which will take on Group A No. 3 team Shirley’s FC in the playoff match on Dec. 5.
Meanwhile, Group B top finisher Saipan United (4-0-0) will meet Group A No. 4 rank Matansa in the other playoff game on Dec. 3.
Published by Saipan Tribune - Nov 30 2021
