Undermanned Kaya FC-Makati succumbs to Davao Aguilas

Davao Aguilas FC’s Angel Guirado got two goals for the team and was named Man of The Match.

The Davao Aguilas took advantage of an undermanned Kaya FC-Makati side to take a 3-1 victory at the University of Makati on Saturday night.

The hosts were limited to fielding a 14-man squad due to suspensions and injuries, a lineup that included debut starts for the likes of Jayson Panhay and Chy Villasenor. They managed to hold things firm early on with the Angeles twins and Woody Ugarte manning the midfield, mitigating whatever they missed from those forced to sit this game out.

The visitors managed to break through in the 26th minute against the run of play, with Enzo Cheng finding Angel Guirado, who heads it past the line to score the opening goal of the match.

Kaya did manage to restore control after allowing the goal, and even had chances to equalize, including an attempt from Panhay that was saved by Nick O'Donnell. However, the half ended with Davao holding a 1-0 advantage.

The second half saw Kaya find their equalizer, as Alfrei Osei took advantage of a free kick situation by scoring the tying goal on a volley in the 58th minute. Unfortunately, it did not take long for Davao to re-establish the lead, as Harry Sawyer took advantage of Janrick Soriano misjudging a diagonal ball headed to the left flank in the 65th minute.

Guirado would net his second goal in the 74th minute off a similar left flank counter to cap off the scoring for the evening.

The victory is Davao's third for the season, and the first one that did not come against fellow newcomer Ilocos United. They still have three more matches remaining on their schedule, all of them against JPV Marikina FC.

Kaya concludes its season with 47 points, its seeding in the Finals Series hangs on Global Cebu FC's remaining schedule.

In the other match scheduled on Saturday at the Elpidio Quirino Stadium in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, hosts Ilocos United managed to hold aspiring top notchers Ceres-Negros FC to a 1-1 draw. Arnie Pasinabo's 77th minute goal neutralizes Adam Mitter's 35th minute strike. They face other once again on Tuesday night.

The Angeles Twins walking off the University of Makati Football Field

Post-game thoughts:

Davao Aguilas head coach Marlon Maro: “I’m happy and satisfied because we lost to Kaya on our home turf, and now we’ve beaten them as well on their home turf, and it’s because the players really wanted to win tonight. For me, the delivery of crosses was the main reason why we scored lots of goals. We were able to take advantage of our height. What’s positive tonight is that the players responded well to the plan.”

Davao Aguilas forward Angel Guirado: “For me it’s the team that’s most important. When the team works good, the team wins. I’m very happy because I scored, but most important is that the team has three points more and looking forward to also preparing for next season. This is good for the confidence of the team.”

Kaya FC-Makati head coach Noel Marcaida: “It’s a tough loss. If you’re looking at the 90 minutes, I couldn’t see that the Aguilas were really on top. When you go back to the first half, we were really playing well. We were combining, but we just couldn’t find that continuity of attack in the final third. In the second half, we played well in the first 15 minutes and were able to score a goal. But after that, there were moments where we allowed the Aguilas to play their game, which led to the two goals.”

Marcaida: “But for me, I give credit to the players who got their chance today, especially Chy (Villaseñor), who really played well.”

Marcaida: “We just need to move on. Anyway, the first objective at the start of the season was to be part of the final four, and we’ve been successful in getting that objective. The regular season is over and the Finals Series is a different story. We have two weeks to prepare for that. We go back to the pitch, work hard, and prepare for the first leg.”