AFTER falling short of winning a second straight Copa title in 2019, Kaya FC-Iloilo reclaimed the cup with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Azkals Development Team (ADT) in the Philippines Football League (PFL) Copa Paulino Alcantara on Nov. 19, 2021 at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
It was a very competitive game between two evenly matched clubs. However, Kaya FC finally found its mark after halftime after breaking through the youthful ADT squad’s tough defense.
Kenshiro Daniels was marked by Mar Diano inside the box. But somehow, Daniels scored the goal coming from a long cross pass by defender Simone Rota in the 47th minute. Daniels stuck a boot in while he was falling, and the ball went through goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad.
ADT sensed the urgency to score the equalizer and was aggressive with their attack. There were times that ADT looked like it was going to score the equalizer, but Kaya FC’s defense was very solid, and the youngsters failed to score a goal.
ADT skipper Jarvey Gayoso’s offense was missed after he injured his hamstring in the semifinals.
Kaya FC captain Jovin Bedic was awarded with the Golden Ball, while his teammate, veteran goalkeeper Louie Casas, won the Golden Gloves for having a clean sheet in the whole tournament.
Gayoso, on the other hand, bagged the Golden Boot trophy for the most goals scored in the Copa.
On the other hand, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC finished in fourth place in the tournament after a nail-biting 5-4 penalty shootout loss to Stallion Laguna FC.
Cebu FC had another competitive match against Stallion FC with the match going scoreless in duration and extra time.
Both sides traded shots with their first three penalty takers — Daniel Gadia, Ricardo Sendra and Charles Dabao for Cebu FC, while Gabriel Silva, Abraham Placito and Kim Sung Min for Stallion FC. Stallion FC goalie Kenneth James made a crucial stop after saving an attempt by Papu Corsame.
Warren Bedia converted his penalty kick to give Stallion FC a 4-3 lead. Joaco Cañas scored the equalizer but Finn McDaniel converted his shot to give Stallion FC the win.