MANILA – Panay Football Association captured the bronze medal in the Philippine Football Federation Under-19 National Championships via a 2-1 victory over Central Visayas on Thursday at the Dynamic Herb-Borromeo Sports Complex in Talisay City, Cebu.
Mark Sheen Estacion and Kent Laurenz Dela Peña scored a goal each as the Panay-based booters achieved a bounce back after suffering a 7-1 defeat to National Capital Region in the semifinals.
Iloilo City native Estacion drew first blood for Panay FA in the 25th minute. He split the defense of Central Visayas to receive a pass from Dela Peña and kicked the ball straight to the back of the net.
Dela Peña, also a native of Iloilo City, doubled the advantage for Panay FA early in the second half. He took advantage on a crack on Central Visayas’ defense for a breakaway hit in the 47th minute.
Central Visayas managed to pull one back in the 74th minute as Theo Libarnes connected past the Panay FA defense but they could not score a follow up goal until the end of the match.
Panay FA head coach Noel Casilao said they made the necessary adjustments against Central Visayas after their lopsided semifinals loss to NCR to at least salvage a medal when they return to Iloilo City.
“All our hard work has paid off. The team is very happy and ecstatic,” said Casilao. “I just made some player adjustments because I noticed that we are not that strong in the midfield area.”
“I have also decided to rest some of my players who are nursing injuries and it was also a perfect opportunity for me to give playing time to my other players,” added the veteran Ilonggo football coach.
Meanwhile, Stallion Football Club-Laguna emerged as the champions in the competition following a 1-0 victory over National Capital Region Football Association in the one-game finals.
Bacchus Ekberg’s 80th minute spot kick sealed the championship for Stallion-Laguna as they became the first team from the second division last year to win the Under-19 championship./PN
