UFL: Reserves lift Pachanga over Army, 3-2

MANILA, Philippines – Pachanga Diliman FC leaned on its substitutes, including Marcus Philip Lopez's game-winner as it turned back a 10-man Army FC, 3-2, to light up its flickering title hopes in the First Division of the United Football League at the Mckinley Hill grounds in Taguig City Saturday night.

Subbing for Jay Eusebio, Lopez came through with the brilliant goal on the 84th minute that shattered a 2-2 deadlock and sealed the Pachanga Diliman booters the victory as the Armymen couldn't score from there.

Pachanga Diliman thus improved to 15 match points on five triumphs against four losses, good for a share of fourth spot with a resurgent Kaya FC, also with 15 points on four wins and three draws against two setbacks but had better goal differential against the former, 7-1.

Army though nearly pulled off an escape draw after Nestorio Margarse, Jr. blasted away with a 66th minute rocket that knotted the count at 2-2.

It came even though the Armymen played with just 10 men following the ejection of former Azkals member Roel Gener, who was assessed a red card on the 50th.

Enter Lopez, who foiled Army's bid for a deadlock.

Meliton Pelayo actually opened up the scoring after he rolled in a goal on the 41st to give Army a 1-0 lead at halftime, and perhaps enough momentum and inspiration in the second half to carry it to a win.

And then Gener was tossed out, leaving Army's defense with a massive, gaping hole.

Ian Anthony Mariano and Jason Cunliffe, who came in for Gerardo Valmayor III and John Edward Rances, respectively, capitalized on it as the two uncorked two goals in six minutes starting on the 52nd to turn the tables in favor of PachangaDiliman, 2-1.

The Armymen absorbed their seventh defeat against a win and a standoff for four points, just a rung ahead of last placed Air Force FC, which has nothing to show just yet after nine failed attempts at a win.

In the lone Second Division match, Union Internacional Manila survived Cimarron FC's late fightback and eked out a pulsating 3-2 win to move up to solo second place with 17 points on five wins and two draws against a loss.

Ivan Meilan unleashed a brace – one on the ninth and the other on 32nd – before Ebenezer Owusu put on the finishing touches to help seal it for the UIM, which now sits just four points behind current leader Team Socceroo, which is comfortably perched at the helm with an unblemished record of seven wins or 21 points.

Cimarron was carried through by Eric Yosse, who struck on the 82nd and on the fourth minute of injury time to keep his team on the game but didn't have enough time to turn things around.

It fell to its fifth setback against three wins for nine points.