Mendiola FC put up a valiant stand to hold fancied Kaya-Iloilo FC to a scoreless standoff last Friday morning in the Philippines Football League at PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
On a sunny morning, Mendiola rained on Kaya’s parade with a superb defensive effort highlighted by another outstanding performance from goalkeeper Kenry Balobo.
Balobo pulled off a series of spectacular saves in the second half as Kaya chased a match-winner, giving Mendiola its first point in the competition after back-to-back losses.
Kaya’s title hopes now hang by a thread following two straight draws including a 1-1 result against Stallion last Tuesday. United City FC can seal the title with a victory against Stallion at 8 p.m. Friday night.
Three nights after dropping points in the draw to Stallion, Kaya was hoping to gain on UCFC, which it will face on Monday. But Mendiola had other plans as it put up a tough defensive stand. Much as it had been for the competition, Kaya’s attacking players were guilty of missing chances that may ultimately cost them a shot at winning the league title for the first time.
“While my boys wanted to win I believe they did not give their full 100 percent,” said Kaya’s Japanese coach Yu Hoshide. “Maybe my boys were a bit tired with only two days of rest between games. I don’t know.”
Kaya no longer holds its fate as Hoshide’s side will be hoping that Stallion at least draws with UCFC in their match to make the Monday game against the reigning champions a winner-take-all battle.
But for Mendiola, the result is a huge morale boost after losing to UCFC, 0-6, and Azkals Development Team, 0-2.
“I give credit to my boys because they gave their best today against a very good team like Kaya so I am very happy with the result of this match,” said Mendiola mentor Dan Padernal. “I really pressured my boys to do better because it would have been embarrassing if we lost our third straight match so we finally gave our opponents a good fight.”
The 22-year-old Balobo, who was a late cut from the PH Under-22 squad that saw action in last year’s 30th Southeast Asian Games, once again raised his stock with an impressive display. He also saved a penalty against ADT last Tuesday.
“He is a hungry young lion who wants to prove himself out there in the (football) jungle,” said Padernal.
Balobo said being left out of the SEA Games was a major motivation in improving his attitude and goalkeeping skills.
“I have moved on from that experience and I used that as motivation in making myself a better player so I could show everybody that I deserve a second chance in the national team,” the 22-year-old from Cebu said.
