Davao makes it back-to-back wins over Ilocos
DAVAO Aguilas FC has sewn up a win streak for the first time in the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League ( PFL) after repeating on Ilocos United FC, 4- 2, on Wednesday at the latter’s home in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.
Had the better of Ilocos, 2-0, in their field in Tagum City last Sunday for their debut PFL win, the Aguilas sustained their winning form with Australian Harrison Sawyer leading the way with a hat trick.
Mr. Sawyer scored his first goal eight minutes into the game which he followed up on as the opening half drew to a close in the 44th minute.
The home team though would score its first goal a minute later with forward Kennedy Uzoka finding the bottom of the net to narrow their deficit by halftime, 2-1.
It did not take long for forward Sawyer to claim his hat trick, connecting anew at the 57th minute.
Charlie Beaton responded for Ilocos at the 61st minute to keep the match close.
The two teams fought it out thereafter before Phil Younghusband put the game away for Davao at the 90th minute with a goal that gave his team a two-point cushion that Ilocos could not recover from.
The second straight win improved Davao to 2-8-10 with 14 points, good for seventh place so far in the eight-team field in the first season of the newly formed national football league while Ilocos (1-4-18) remained in the cellar with seven points.
“Today we have a team. Today we are Davao Aguilas,” a beaming Davao head coach Marlon Maro said after the win.
The Aguilas will be back in action at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 22, and will face off against JPV Marikina (84-10), which held Ceres-Negros FC to a 2-2 draw in their own PFL fixture on Wednesday. —