Defending champion Kaya-Iloilo closed in on securing top spot in the semifinals of the 2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara after holding off Stallion-Laguna, 3-2, on Monday, May 2 at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite.
Carlyle Mitchell, Shirmar Felongco and Jhan-Jhan Melliza all scored in the first half, but Kaya had to weather the Stallion uprising in the final 45 minutes to take the full three points at the end of the five-goal thriller.
Kaya improved to 13 points on four victories and one draw, four clear of Dynamic Herb Cebu which has two games at hand. The two squads will face off on May 12 in a rematch of last year’s semifinal.
A win will confirm the No. 1 seed for Kaya and a matchup against the fourth place team in the knockout semis slated May 16. The holders also extended their lead to five over AFC Champions League participant United City FC, the latter with a game at hand.
Stallion remained winless after four matches with two points, needing to defeat Maharlika-Manila on May 8 and United City on May 12 to stay in the hunt for a seat in the last four.
Kaya played minus veteran striker Jovin Bedic, who will take part in the national U-23 team’s campaign in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Simone Rota nearly put Kaya in front just three minutes into the match, but his header off Melliza’s free kick hit the right post, but it didn’t take long before Kaya found the mark as Mitchell scored the opener in the 9th minute off Melliza’s free kick, his second of the competition.
Melliza set up another goal in the 18th when he sent a long ball for Felongco, who took advantage of a defensive mistake of Rey Villareal to double Kaya’s lead.
The diminutive Melliza eventually joined the goalscoring tally in the 28th after beating two defenders to make it 3-0 at the expense of his former club.
Daizo Horikoshi almost produced a tournament-leading fourth goal of the 2022 Copa near the halftime whistle, but his shot went way over the crossbar.
Stallion pulled one back when a Kaya clearance ricocheted into Finn McDaniel, allowing Abou Sy to score past Balobo in the 61st.
The Horsemen reduced the gap further when Matthew Nierras smashed the club’s second goal in the 70th off a pass by substitute Kouichi Belgira, putting Kaya in an uncomfortable spot.
Another sub Allen Angeles nearly tied it up shortly after Nierras’ goal, but his low shot off a cross by Bryan Ybanez sailed wide to the left, much to the dismay of the Stallion side.
Both clubs were later each reduced to 10 men when Mitchell and Stallion’s Kameron Bolden were given straight reds a minute into stoppage time after the two nearly came to blows.
Referee Linjun Talaver whistled for the end of the match seconds later, thus extending Kaya’s unbeaten streak in domestic competitions to 14 consecutive matches.