Guam – The Paintco Strykers are on a hot, four-game winning streak moving into the playoffs of the 2013 Land Shark Beach Soccer League.
The league’s defending champions overcame a pair of defeats earlier in the season to finish ranked No. 2 in the league standings before the playoffs, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Guam Football Association National Training Center beach soccer court.
The Strykers’ winning streak includes a 5-4 edge of first-ranked team Quality Distributors last week, Quality’s only loss in the regular season. Quality will first play fourth-ranked team Crushers FC in the first round of playoffs at 2 p.m. Sunday, followed the Strykers playing third-ranked Doosan FC at 3 p.m. In the regular season, Doosan FC won its first match up with the Strykers, but narrowly lost 11-10 in the teams’ second match up.
A consolation game for the losers of the first two matches will kick off at 4 p.m., followed by the championship game at 5 p.m.
[Quality Distributors’ Jimmy Bush leaps to try to score a goal facing defensive pressure from the Paintco Strykers’ Shawn Spindel (left) and Strykers’ goalkeeper Julio Gonzales during a Week 5 match of the 2013 Land Shark Beach Soccer League at the Guam Football Association National Training Center beach soccer court. The Strykers edged Quality 5-4]
In the regular season’s final matches, Doosan FC also finished on a winning note, defeating the Pago Bay Disasters 8-6. Scoring for Doosan were Allan Angoco, Luis Quichocho, Anthony Manibusan, Arjay Valencia, Cheyne Robles, Joaquin Cruz, and Cameron Lunod. The team’s other goal came on a Disasters own goal. Ray Blas led the Disasters with a hat trick. Gavin Santos scored twice and teammate Alvin Merfalen added one goal to the tally.
The Strykers defeated the Crushers 13-6, led by FJ Chargualaf’s double hat trick. Rico Espinosa scored four times and teammates Addison Basurto-Olsen, Shawn Spindel and Hiro Asoshina also scored. Alfred Agahan and Eric Redona each scored twice for the Crushers and teammates Sisank Kotwal and Ricky Quan each scored once.
The Strykers next edged Quality 5-4, led by a pair of goals from Chargualaf. Asoshina, Espinosa and Camden Aguon also scored for the Strykers. David John Cruz scored twice for Quality and teammates Jimmy Bush and Josh Mendiola also scored for Quality.
[The Paintco Strykers’ Rico Espinosa (19) battles for possession of the ball between the Crushers FC’s Eric Redona (left) and Alfred Agahan (right) during a Week 5 match of the 2013 Land Shark Beach Soccer League at the Guam Football Association National Training Center beach soccer court. The Strykers defeated the Crushers 13-6.]
In the day’s final match, the Disasters battled to a 6-6 draw with the Crushers. Merfalen scored four goals for Pago Bay. Santos and Levi Adonay also scored for the Disasters. Kotwal finished with a hat trick to lead the Crushers. Agahan scored twice and Redona added one goal for the Crushers’ final tally.
Admission is free to watch the games.
