City's booters reach Nofa Cup quarterfinals
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Oriental – Davao City reached the quarterfinals of the recentlyconcluded 3rd Nofa Cup 12-under boys grassroots football tournament held at the Sta. Maria Field in Bacolod City.
Organized annually since its inception in 2016, the Nofa Cup is one of the most prestigious grassroots football tournaments in the Philippines.
Davao City carrying the name DGCL (Davao Grassroots Champions League) Selection Team, finished the elimination round in the top eight to enter the quarterfinals via three wins and two losses with a positive goal difference in the 18-team division.
This is a huge leap from the lackluster performance of the Davao City team during the 2017 Nofa Cup wherein the team went home without a single win.
The city team was composed of Josh Clarence Agulo, Mavy Dame Canton, Miguel Jao, BreIndel Medina and Joaquin Jose Suarez of Rovers FC; EJ Cabiles, Gerardo Coronado, Art Eroy, AJ Guinging, Gelo Lacerna, Zyk Lopez and Karl Sumampong of Southshield FC; Kim Naga and Jarom Vidal of Blackrose FC; and Victor Gerald Lagundi of Hyenas FC. Handling the team were head coach Rey Henry “Ewee” de Leon and assistant coach Jefferson “Wang” Mananzares.
De Leon cited the players for their efforts. “Considering that the boys were a collection of players whose ages range from 10 to 12 years old and had only over a month to train intensively as a team, in contrast with the top contenders in Nofa whose players were mostly full 12 and prepared for one year, reaching the quarterfinals should be considered a very good showing," he said.
He added, "What our boys lacked in age and size, they more than made up for with heart and fighting spirit. We can only speculate if there was longer time to train.”
DGCL general secretary Rex Rodriguez plans to hold longer and more intense training for the team for upcoming tournaments.