Kaya FC-Iloilo’s Attack Hits a Higher Gear Against Garelli United Well, the goals start coming and they don’t stop coming—two games in, Kaya’s hit the ground running.

Kaya FC-Iloilo’s newly installed offense has just achieved the largest goal margin in Copa Paulino Alcantara history: an 11-0 victory over Don Bosco-Garelli United. Iloilo move up to second place in Group A, warming up the attacking engines in preparation for the continental stage.

Eleven goals, six goalscorers, three braces, and a hat trick for the yellow & black—featuring the return of the club’s resident midfield maestro to the scoresheet. 

“Overall I’m very happy with the team’s performance, we went out there and did our best.” stated Marwin Angeles. “For myself, I was happy to get on the goal sheet plus one assist—nice work from Jhan-Jhan [Melliza, ‘15]. That’s what we needed and I hope we continue in this way.” 

MOTM Ricki Sendra weighed in, his Kaya tenure off to a fantastic start after scoring three goals in his two appearances so far. 

“That’s the game that we have to play,” Sendra opined about their dominant display. “Preparing for the [AFC] Champions League, I think the whole team performed very well and I’m very happy for the victory.”

In addition to gearing up for a deep PFL Cup run, the team’s focused heavily on their preparations to return to the top flight of Asian club football. To that end, the work’s just getting started. 

“We don’t take anything for granted. We are preparing for the Champions League and we know how it is to play at that kind of level,” Angeles remarked. “Regardless who our opponent is, we go out there, give 100%, and do what we have to do.” 

“It’s still a long way to go, but we’re getting there step by step—working hard so the team gets to the [ACL] Group Stage in good shape,” he added. 

Even in the midst of the previous two matches’ one-sided score lines, head coach Colum Curtis could be seen animatedly directing his squad from the sidelines—continuing to push them and get them ready for the challenges ahead. When asked about this, Ricki gave this amused reply.

“I think that’s good, you can even see him running beside us during the game,” he commented. “That’s good that he pushes us all the time because we have a big tournament coming up. We have to prepare like this; pushing and training hard during the week and performing like we did today.” 

In a message to the fans and supporters, the Argentinian had this to say.

“Thank you for every gameday, to have so many people here supporting us. To the people in Iloilo and here in Manila, thank you for all the support!” 

 

Player Spotlight: 

Maru’s Masterpiece
Hat’s off to the maestro for a spectacular performance, in which he netted himself a hat trick in the second half. This marks Angeles’ first foray into Kaya’s scoresheet since the 2021 AFC Champions League—when he scored the first Philippine goal in the competition’s history against BG Pathum United. 

It’s a promising sight to see our veteran playmaker rounding into form, especially with the team gearing up to return to that prestigious stage later this year.

Slick Ricki 
Sendra bookended the first half with an emphatic brace, then proceeded to dictate the pace in the second half as a deep-lying playmaker. The aerial threat on set pieces he’s provided thus far has been invaluable, but it was his overall performance up and down the pitch that earned him Man of the Match honors.   

Horikoshi’s Hero’s Comeback
Finally, Kaya faithful can breathe a sigh of relief as the team’s talismanic winger appears to have shaken off his rust and found his shooting boots. The reigning PFL Golden Boot’s back in the race with a brace, only adding to his purple patch of playmaking form—this being his second game in a row with four assists to his name.