Courtesy: ABS-CBNnews.com


Malayan booters lead 1st Futsal Cup Awardees

MANILA, Philippines -- A duo from the victorious Malayan Colleges of Laguna’s (MCL) futsal team bagged top individual honors in the recently concluded Futsal Cup-College Men Division, capping a remarkable run that saw the Laguna-based squad clinch the title.

MCL forward Lawrence Gatasi emerged as the tournament’s best striker, winning the Golden Boot Award for having scored the most number of goals in the weeklong tourney held at Emilio Aguinaldo College.

“Winning the Golden Boot Award is very rewarding. This is the fruit of all of my hardwork,” said an elated Gatasi.

Joining Gatasi in the honor roll is the team’s keeper Justin Averilla, whose defensive exploits particularly in their titular showdown against Rizal Technological University (RTU) earned him the Best Goalkeeper Award.

Averilla kept a clean slate manning the goal against RTU during the finale’s penalty shootout, helping MCL hack out a 3-0 victory on penalty that handed the school its first futsal crown.

Sterling performances from both players throughout the tourney helped MCL booters, who are mentored by Ma. Aleth Mendoza, overcome strong competition coming from teams based in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Winning their first championship and bagging top individual plums provided both players and the whole team more reasons to celebrate.

Gatasi shared that playing football at a young age helped him become a complete football player and ripe for big tournaments.

“Since I began playing at an early age, everything becomes easier for me. I already know what it takes or what needs to be done to help my team win,” he added.

Being the last line of defense, tournament’s top keeper Averilla admitted succumbing to pressure at times, though he managed to save his best performance when it mattered the most.

“Though being at the back means I do not have to move that much, the pressure is still so much different since I am in charge of preventing the other team from scoring,” said Averilla.

Averilla likewise credited his formative years playing football and the rigid trainings the team underwent, which he said, have helped him deal with such tense-filled moments.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com