UFL: Loyola rack up biggest win of the season, hit double-figures versus Army

Tuesday night’s UFL action at the Emperador Stadium saw the biggest win of the league so far, as the Loyola Meralco Sparks kept up the pressure on the Stallions and Global with an emphatic 10-1 victory over the Army. Phil Younghusband and Mark Hartmann both grabbed four goals each in the rout, to leap ahead of Rufo Sanchez’s nine goals, with ten goals each for the 2013 season. Opening the scoring in the fourth minute, Mark Hartmann tapped in Phil Younghusband’s cross. However, it wasn’t all their own way in the first half as the Army equalized through Luisito Brillantes in the 29th minute and kept them out until the 42nd, when Phil Younghusband converted a penalty. After the break, Jang Joo Won put Loyola 3-1 in front before Younghusband made it four, slotting beyond the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation. Completing the hat-trick in the 72nd minute, his driven shot from 25-yards out flew into the top corner with the game all but over. A minute later, Matthew Hartmann put his name on the scoresheet, firing in from Angelo Marasigan’s cross, before the substitute winger got his second assist in the 76th minute, crossing for Mark Hartmann to confidently sidefoot the ball in for his second. Hartmann completed his hat-trick two minutes later, stealing the ball from Army’s substitute goalkeeper, who was trying to bring it back into the area to pick it up. Phil Younghusband casually stroked in his tenth of the season as it was all too easy for the Sparks, Mark Hartmann joining him on that figure as he tapped in the rebound from a neat move to make it 10-1 for Loyola with the Sparks’ 33rd goal of the season, seven more than anyone else. First half In only the fourth minute Mark Hartmann put the Sparks in front as Simon Greatwich found Phil Younghusband out wide, and his cross was knocked into the back of the net after one bounce by Mark Hartmann. Loyola dominated from then on but couldn’t find the second. In the 28th minute, Jang Joo Won beat his man and fired at goal, but hit the crossbar and the Army defense managed to clear, with some help from the woodwork, in acrobatic fashion. A minute later, the Army had equalized, with Luisito Brillantes putting his team back on level terms. The Army remained stout until the 42nd minute, when Loyola won a penalty and Phil Younghusband scored to put Loyola back in front with his first of the game. Second half After the break it was goals galore, Loyola putting a further eight past the Army. As some context, those eight goals in 45 minutes are more than any other team has scored in a full game in the league this season. The first of those came in the 54th minute, Mark Hartmann played in Jang Joo Won with a nice, reverse pass, and he beat his man to fire beyond Victorino Troyo in goal to make it 3-1. In the 61st minute Phil Younghusband slotted in his second in a one-on-one situation when put through on goal, as Loyola scored four goals in six minutes. Younghusband drove in his hat-trick from 25-yards out with a strong shot in the 72nd minute, before a minute later, substitute Angelo Marasigan’s cross was dummied by Matthew Uy, on loan from Global, and Matthew Hartmann smashed in to put his name on the scoresheet too. In the 76th minute Marasigan was again the provider, his cross confidently and casually volleyed in on the side-foot by Mark Hartmann who wrapped up his hat-trick two minutes later, stealing the ball from substitute keeper who was trying to bring the loose ball back into the area so he could pick it up. Yet at 8-1 up the Sparks weren’t done yet, Phil Younghusband and Mark Hartmann casually striking in their tenth goals of the season each to become joint UFL top scorers in the last minutes of play. What’s next for the teams   Next week, April 23, the Sparks, now just a point behind Stallions, will be up against Pachanga, looking for another win to keep up in the title race. Taking a battering here, the Army meanwhile, will have a bit longer to prepare as they will be in action next against the Air Force on April 27. A must-win game, victory would make them all but safe from the automatic relegation spot at the bottom of the league. On the flip side, a loss would give the Air Force a huge chance of escaping that fate, as the only team still without a single point in the league would be only one point behind Army’s four, if they can win that game. It seems the Armed Forces are on borrowed time in the UFL, without the realization of a United Armed Forces team.  - AMD, GMA News