Kaya FC-Makati Treats Home Crowd to First PFL Win

Jordan Mintah

Kaya FC Makati claimed their first win in the Philippines Football League after a heated 2-0 win over Davao Aguilas FC, Saturday evening, at the University of Makati Stadium.

It was a closely contested match, but goals from Jordan Mintah and Adam Reed handed Kaya their first three points of the PFL season, after drawing, 1-1, against Ceres-Negros FC two weeks prior. Both teams finished the match with ten men after Davao's Jason Cordova and Kaya's Adam Reed were given straight red cards on either side of half-time.

"Coming to this game, all we needed was the three points," said Kaya FC Makati coach Noel Marcaida. "We were successful in that."

Both sides fired warning shots in the opening stages. Robert Mendy was close in the eighth minute, with his header going just wide. Davao's Omar Khan also had a chance that went wide off the post in the 14th minute.

By the 16th minute, Kaya finally scored the opener. New signing Jordan Mintah broke the deadlock, cooly finishing with a low shot past the goalkeeper. Midfielder Miguel Tanton created the opportunity after winning possession at the center of the pitch, and floating a perfectly weighted ball into the path of the Ghanian forward.

It could have been 2-0 in the 37th minute. Kenshiro Daniels' free kick almost caught Marko Trkulja off guard, but the Davao goalkeeper did well to keep the ball out.

Reed doubled Kaya's lead three minutes before half-time from the penalty spot. Davao skipper Cordova was sent off for a foul inside the box, and Reed buried the resulting penalty kick.

Kaya was poised to extend their lead in the second half. However, they lost their man advantage just seven minutes after the break, as Reed was given a straight red card for his challenge on a Davao player.

Despite the setback, Kaya continued to push for a third goal. Mendy and Mintah came close, and so did substitutes Eric Giganto and Jovin Bedic. But the finishing touch to extend the lead remained elusive. Masanari Omura and Alfred Osei did well on the defensive end to ensure Kaya FC-Makati claimed their first clean sheet to match an impressive win in front of the club’s home support in the University of Makati.

Kaya is back in action again on Wednesday, May 24, as they take on Global Cebu at 7:00pm.