Kaya FC–Iloilo Comes From Behind to Down JPV Marikina
JPV Marikina 1-3 Kaya FC–Iloilo
Carmona Football Field
August 22, 2018; Carmona — With second place already secured, Kaya FC–Iloilo made good on their promise to field a fresh side against JPV Marikina on Wednesday afternoon. Despite a starting lineup that featured only two holdovers from the previous match, Kaya overcame an early deficit to secure a 3-1 victory at the Carmona Football Field.
Jayson Panhay, and new acquisitions Arnel Amita and Arnie Pasinabo each earned their first starts for the club, while goalkeeper Zach Banzon got his first 90 minutes of the season. The first XI, captained by Antonio Ugarte, also featured youngsters Mike and Audie Menzi.
Given the lack of playing time amongst the starters, the opening exchanges showed signs of a lack of cohesiveness. And just seven minutes into the contest, JPV Marikina punished Kaya’s loose marking. With no one tracking his run, John Celiz slipped in behind Kaya’s defense and slotted the ball into the side netting.
The goal stirred Iloilo into action. Amita and Ugarte started getting control of the middle of the pitch, which allowed Panhay and Pasinabo to get more involved on the wings, and Connor Tacagni and Eric Giganto to receive service up top. A third into the opening period, Kaya carved out four clean chances in the space of 15 minutes.
From a flowing counter attack, Panhay had a goal ruled out for offside. He then missed the target from the edge of the area after Giganto had cleverly stepped over Tacagni’s low cross. Just a minute later, it was Tacagni’s turn to fire narrowly wide from Amita’s pass. The bombardment continued with a exquisite defense-splitting pass from Panhay that Giganto failed to get on goal. Finally, the pressure paid off just after the half-hour mark.
JPV’s defense was caught sleeping after a wayward attempt from Eric, allowing Connor to race onto the ball and fire in the equalizer. Iloilo threatened to take the lead on two more occasions before the break, but neither Giganto nor Tacagni could convert their chances.
Robert Lopez Mendy’s introduction with 20 minutes to go proved decisive. Shortly after coming on, the league’s leading scorer completed the turnaround. Released by a wonderful pass from Antonio Ugarte, Robert touched the ball around the onrushing keeper and slotted the ball into the empty net. Lopez Mendy then completed his brace in the 80th minute. From just inside the opposition half, he raced unchallenged into Marikina’s box and was brought down for a penalty. Robert stepped up himself and buried the spot kick to put the result beyond reach.
“It took like 20 minutes for them to get their comfort on the ball,” said Kaya FC–Iloilo’s Noel Marcaida. “Not only am I happy that a lot of our boys got their first start, but this is our first come from behind victory this season.”
There were other reasons to be happy as well for Kaya’s head coach.
“Nano (Amita) was able to control the midfield. I really enjoyed watching Nano today. He’s a very small guy, but when he’s got the ball he’s a big player. Not only that, Eric was given 90 minutes. Panhay fell a little short (replaced by Lopez Mendy), but he got his chances. Connor is back scoring with his third goal, so I’m happy for him,” he said.
“We’re successful in our objective. Not only did we get a chance to rest the players who’ve played the most number of minutes this season, but we were also able to expose all of the players who need more time on the pitch. They took the challenge and the result was great.”
Man of the Match Robert Lopez Mendy was equally pleased with the performance level the team showed.
“It feels good to score, but all the credit goes to the boys. They did very well. After 20 minutes into the game they started playing very good, so I think I was just lucky to finish the game and score as well,” he said. “I think they have good potential. They are very good players. And there’s no one that trusts them more than me. I really believe they can help the team. Overall it was a very good performance from them.”
On a separate note, Masanari Omura came on as a substitute in the second half, continuing his run of playing in every single league match this season.
