The team from Laguna FA was the big winner of match-day four of the PFF U15 Boys National Championship Group 1 after National Capital Region FA and Negros Occidental FA shared the spoils in the matches played last Sunday, 17 November 2019 at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
The first match of the day lived up to the expectations as NCR and Negros Occidental split the points in an exciting 3-3 draw, with all the goals in the first half coming in the last 10 minutes.
Jian Vinz Caraig put coach Richard Leyble’s side ahead in the 35th minute with a shot from outside of the box. Corban Miraflor’s open strike and Byron Abela’s header off a corner sent NOFA 2-1 up at the break.
“They [NOFA] are a strong team,” said Leyble after the match.
NCR struck back fast in the second half, with Dominic Tom and Raj Ivan Nocidad restoring the lead from the counter-attack. Substitute Syreal Magbanua saved the blushes of coach Ronald Treyes with a long-ranged effort ten minutes before full time.
“My players did their best in the game,” said Treys after the draw. “Kapag first ten minutes in the first and the second half, dun tayo mag-ingat.”
With the draw, Laguna reduced the gap between the top two teams to just a solitary point after their 4-1 win over short-handed Federated FA of Masbate in a chippy affair.
After being dented by NOFA in their last match, Laguna turned on the heat in the second half after Wroenz Bicua’s first-minute opener was canceled out by Carl James Zaragoza two minutes later.
Vincent Saludo’s penalty give them the go-ahead in the 54th minute, in which Louis Junio and another penalty by Antoine Escobin gave Laguna all three points.
The physicality of the game was evident as the referee flashed six yellow cards and sent off three Masbate players in the process, with all of the red cards came in the final ten minutes of the match.
