UFL: Nomads dent Loyola’s title hopes with draw, Kaya wins

Recaps of Tuesday's UFL Division 1 action from Emperador Stadium.

Nomads 2, Loyola Meralco Sparks 2.

Lightning has struck twice for Loyola.

Last year the Sparks were eliminated from league contention when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Nomads. Last Tuesday it happened again.

A plucky Nomads team hustled there way to a massive result with goals from Mikko Mabanag and Bafio Magassa. Loyola got goals from Jeong Byeong-yeol.

Eyebrows were raised when Meralco coach Vince Santos left midfield talisman Mark Hartmann and regular keeper Ref Cuaresma off the starting eleven.

Nomads took a shock lead in the 28^th minute when Mikko Mabanag executed a perfectly timed run past the Loyola backline on a breakaway and received a terrific through ball from Phil Connolly.

The Atenean coolly negotiated the ball past Sparks reserve keeper Mark Sorongon for 1-0. It's Mabanag's first Division One goal in the UFL. The diminutive winger was back in action after missing some games with chicken pox.

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In the 42^nd minute Hartmann eventually trotted on to the pitch for Roxy Dorlas.

Loyola drew level two minutes late when Jeong Byeong-yeol headed past Nomads keeper Friso Klok. The inch-perfect delivery that set up the header came from James Younghusband.

Then just after the second half began Hartmann got on the scoresheet, powering past Klok off a great cross from Simon Greatwich.

But the Sparks' joy was short-lived. In the 48^th minute Magassa nodded in a header from close range to knot the score at two-all.

Loyola pressed for another go-ahead strike, with Simon Greatwich volleying straight to Klok in the 68^th.

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In the 87^th Nomads nearly got a winner themselves but Chad Gould cleared off the line.

Nomads also felt that a handball on PJ Fadrigalan was not called late.

In injury time Hartmann volleyed over the bar and in the last play of the game, sent a free kick straight to Klok.

With three games left, Loyola needs a lot of help to win the league. Both Global at 34 points and Stallion, on top with 39, need to stumble while Meralco runs the table.

Nomads, now on fifteen points, leapfrogs PSG and Archers to get solo sixth.

OTHER NOTES: Loyola play Malaysia's U19 squad on Sunday in Singapore's Jalan Besar stadium. It is the first round of the 2013 RHB Singapore Cup.... Freddy Gonzalez is, by his estimate, four months away from playing. The Spark and former national team player suffered an injury to his left leg early in the season. He was at the game though, shooting his team mates with his 400mm lens.

Kaya 4, Philippine Army 0

Kaya swept their season series with Army thanks to a sterling performance from their recently converted center midfielder, Anton Del Rosario.

The former Azkal picked up two goals to go with the strikes from OJ Porteria and Janrick Soriano.

David Perkovic, Kaya's coach, used Del Rosario in center mid for the fourth game in a row.

Army were without the services of regular center back Eduardo Gempisaw, who was on leave for his wedding.

Del Rosario found his scoring touch in the eleventh when he finished past Army keeper Victorino Troyo after receiving a pass from Nate Burkey, who was served the ball by Chris Greatwich.

Three minutes later Kaya doubled their lead when Soriano beat Troyo. The Negrense's well-taken volley took a slight deflection before finding the net.

Soriano forced a good kick save from Troyo soon after and just after the half-hour mark, shot wide.

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Four minutes after the half Kaya went 3-0 up when OJ Porteria, off a superb ball from Nate Burkey, eased the ball past the keeper. Porteria had timed his run perfectly in beating the static Army defense.

A minute after the half Kaya finished their scoring when they scored off a goalmouth scramble off a terrific Logan McDaniel in-swinging corner from the right side. After some confusion the goal was eventually credited to Del Rosario.

Dario Dakic came in to relieve Del Rosario late and almost scored himself when he blazed a volley just over the bar in the 90^th minute.

“We like him (Del Rosario) at center mid. He's not going to back down from anything” said Kaya team manager Justin Tolentino after the game.

With 24 points, Kaya overtake Pachanga-Diliman for the fourth spot on the table.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.