By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negrense booters were among the stars as Makati Football Club (FC) Girls’ Under-14 squad finished with a silver medal in the recently-concluded Singapore International Youth Cup or SingaCup.
The Negros Occidental’s Pontevedra-native Sofia Galera emerged as the team’s top scorer, while Bacolod City-native Ushin Valencia and Maeva Javier added two goals each in the entire tournament.
Galera’s province mate Joyce Gemberva, Javier’s fellow Bacolodnon Danicka Moleje, Cebuana booter Jelena Soon and Ariana Gementiza also made their impression on the squad.
According to Makati FC CEO and Director SeLu Lozano, it was by design that their U-14 girls’ football squad was composed of players from Negros Occidental, which is said to be one of the football hotbeds in the country.
“Our academy has stood for over 40 years and I wish to continue what my dad has started in giving opportunities for the youth to fulfill their dream of becoming world class football athletes,” Lozano said.
“Creating a winning team takes a lot of dedication and hard work. We wish that one day we will be able to align our program with the national federation so we can widen our reach and help develop our local athletes to give them better opportunities to maximize their potential,” he added.
Makati FC Girls’ U-14 squad had a strong start in the tournament as they defeated Northern New South Wales (2-1), Australian-based squad Fremantle (2-1), and Football West (5-0).
However, the Philippines-based football club could not complete their impressive run as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the same Northern New South Wales team they beat earlier.
Makati FC, the longest running club based in Metro Manila, competed in four divisions and brought five teams to compete from November 5 to 12, which made a return after three years.
The Boys’ U-8 squad landed in fourth place, with Pontevedra’s Renzel Grace Gella leading the way. Van dan Benia, also from Pontevedra, and Davao native Sean Pinion played with the Boys’ U-10 team, which placed second./ASC, WDJ