By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
THE Marianas Soccer League 2 featured a dominant display by Old B Bank and a nail-biting draw between MP United FC and Shirley’s FC on Friday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
Old B Bank earned their first win of the season with a commanding 5-0 victory over Matansa Football Club.
John Canape led the scoring, netting a hat-trick in the 9th, 39th, and 47th minutes. Oliver Fajardo added a goal in the 26th minute, while Kosuke Sato struck in the 39th. Kevin McCale, Ruselle Zapanta, and Rex De Jose also contributed to keeping Matansa pinned in their own half throughout the match.
Despite attempts to control play from midfield, Matansa found little space against a disciplined Old B Bank backline and eventually lost 5-0.
MP United vs Shirley’s
The second match was a closer contest, with MP United FC and Shirley’s FC finishing in a 1-1 draw.
Shirley’s FC struck first when Robert Martinez scored in the 20th minute, giving his team a 1-0 lead deep into the second half. MPU responded in the 77th minute as Gaige Porras capitalized on a scoring opportunity to level the match at 1-1.
The final minutes saw frantic end-to-end action, but neither side could find a winner, resulting in a draw.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
