UFL: Kaya dominate Air Force, who lose a man, their coach, and their heads

Kaya FC notched a 4-0 win against a wild Air Force side that saw their coach and one of their players sent packing, Thursday at the Emperador Stadium. In the early minutes of the game, Kaya dominated and then took the lead when OJ Porteria beat Kenneth Dolloso at the near post. That however resulted in an Air Force onslaught on the Kaya players soon after. Following several elbows narrowly missed their intended targets, Air Force coach Ed Bracamonte was sent off for shouting at the officials, apparently not seeing his players’ rough play. Antonio Albor soon followed his coach off the pitch with his second yellow card of the first half. Several professional fouls followed, with Kaya lucky to make it to halftime without any injuries. After the break, Christian Ayew doubled the lead after Dolloso had to come out of his area to clear the ball away from Nate Burkey in the 47th minute. Lobbing the ball into the empty net, he added his second of the game and Kaya’s third ten minutes later, heading in Antonio Ugarte’s corner unmarked in the 57th minute. Substitute Anton Del Rosario wrapped up the win in the last minute of normal time as he shot at goal from the left wing, wrong-footing Dolloso, as it took a deflection on its way in. First half Kaya opened the game quickly as OJ Porteria shot at Kenneth Dolloso in the second minute of the game, before Masa Omura headed over the bar from a corner in the fourth minute. After new signing Christian Ayew shot over from the right wing, the goals became forthcoming, starting with OJ Porteria firing Kaya ahead in the eighth minute. Picking the ball up from the left wing, Porteria had spotted Dolloso out of position and slotted the ball beyond the keeper at his near post from a tight angle, the 18-year-old notching his third of the season. In the 16th minute Porteria almost turned provider, as his corner was headed just over the bar. He was then given way too much space in the area, firing past Dolloso to the bottom right corner, but Mark Fernandez had dropped to the post and cleared it off the line. Minutes after saving the Air Force from going two behind, Fernandez was stretchered off when Fabien Lewis lunged in late and dangerous on the defender. Receiving a yellow card, few questions would have been asked if it was a red instead, as the clumsy challenge meant Fernandez’s game was over. Then after Ayew narrowly avoided an Antonio Albor elbow to the face, Chris Greatwich was brought down by another, before Air Force coach Ed Bracamonte was sent to the stands for shouting at the referees. Albor then intentionally barged over Omura after the ball had gone, earning himself a yellow card, as they continued to stop Kaya’s play with deliberate fouls. The referee, to his credit, spotted the fouls and gave appropriate punishments, something new to the UFL where the Armed Forces teams are concerned. Glenn Bulaquina came on soon after for the second Air Force substitution and in only the 34th minute, the Air Force were 1-0 down, with two yellow cards, two injuries, and their Head Coach sent off. In the 39th minute Kaya had a goal disallowed as Ayew ran onto a through ball, and touched it beyond Dolloso, though he was flagged back for offside. However, things got worse for the Air Force, as Albor was sent off in the 40th minute. And while Fabien Lewis was down from another hard, unfair challenge, OJ Porteria was also on the floor complaining of a high foot, as the first half ended with a spate of intentional fouls. Second half On the scoreboard, things got worse for the Air Force as Ayew lobbed Dolloso for his first Kaya goal after Nate Burkey had lured the keeper out of his area to clear the ball. Dolloso’s clearance fell kindly to the new Kaya signing, who hit the ball first time, over the keeper, and into the goal. Antonio Ugarte had the next chance as he rounded Dolloso, but the Air Force keeper managed to get a foot to the ball. Ugarte next found Christian Ayew unmarked at the near post with the corner, and Ayew headed Kaya 3-0 up in the 57th minute. It could have been four when Nate Burkey was free on the right and unselfishly chipped into the box rather than shot straight away. Kaya couldn’t quite get on the end of it and as OJ Porteria tried to win the ball, back he was called for a foul on Nicolas Leonora. The Airman retaliated by raising his arm to the teenager’s face, earning him a yellow card. After another couple of fouls from both teams, Logan McDaniel came out for Anton Del Rosario in the 67th minute after Chris Greatwich was brought down again. Before Kaya could take the free-kick though, Neckson Leonora went into the book for shouting at the linesman. Nate Burkey came off for Sean Iliff next and the substitute was denied a goal by a brilliant save from Kenneth Dolloso. From the left, another substitute, Vincent Ocampo, crossed in for Iliff who headed at goal from point-blank range, but Dolloso got two hands to it first, knocking it onto the bar and then holding onto it in the 77th minute. Ayew had the chance for his hat-trick after a fantastic through ball from Kaya in the 83rd minute. With another forward free to the right, he brought Dolloso out of position but shot tamely wide of goal with the net gaping. Adrian Bretana got the next yellow card for the Air Force while Ocampo was the next to miss a good chance, chesting down an Iliff header to set himself up for the volley on the penalty spot, only for the ball to go wide. Anton Del Rosario then took a free-kick in the 90th minute from the left wing, shooting at goal from the tight angle, and the ball took a slight deflection from the wall on its way into the back of the net. What’s next for the teams Moving into fourth, Kaya will meet Global next on April 11 in high spirits, while knowing anything less than a win against the league leaders will knock them out of the title race. Before that game though, the Air Force will also be in action as they take on PSG. A win is vital to their survival chances, but with four goals scored and now thirty goals conceded, with only the Army also conceding more than twenty goals, the Air Force will need to improve all over the pitch. - AMD, GMA News