TOP TEAMS MAKE FA CUP SEMIS

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The Paintco Strykers goalkeeper J.R. Campos leaps to tap the ball away from Quality Distributors FC’s Scott Leon Guerrero during a quarterfinal match of the 2013 Guam FA Cup. Quality defeated the Strykers 5-3. (courtesy photo)

PRESS RELEASE – No one said it was going to be easy, but the top four ranked teams all managed to make their way to the semifinals of the 6th Annual Guam FA Cup presented by Bank of Guam and Table 35 Restaurant and Bar at the Guam Football Association National Training Center.

Although the odds were in favor of Guam Shipyard on paper from the beginning, the defending champions were up against the Ambassadors, a Budweiser Soccer League Division II team on a two-game winning streak, with 18 goals scored in as many games. The Ambassadors put the No. 2 ranked team in check early on, scoring the first goal in four minutes on a shot by Jeremy Hewitt and another goal in the 21st minute courtesy of Mohammed Sahid, who had scored seven times in his team’s previous two games in the tournament.

Guam Shipyard answered back each time thanks to shots by Ashton Surber and Christopher Reyes before halftime and Surber later scored the eventual game winner in the 64th minute to narrowly sneak past the Ambassadors and into the semifinals. Guam Shipyard next will face Table 35 Espada FC at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Table 35 cruised into the semifinals after shutting out BSL Division II team Big Blue 5-0 in the weekend’s last quarterfinal match. T.J. Atalig scored twice for Table 35 and teammates Mark Chargualaf, Alan Jamison and Kristian Cruz each scored once in the win.

Table 35 Espada FC’s Kristian Cruz looks to sprint toward the goal with the ball as Big Blue’s Jerran Lizama looks to stop him during a quarterfinal match. Table 35 blanked Big Blue 5-0. (courtesy photo)

On the other end of the bracket, the No. 4 ranked Southern Cobras needed close to 120 minutes of play against the Crushers FC, a BSL Division II team, to advance to the semifinals with a 1-0 win. Both teams had chances to score during regulation time, but valiant defending and diving saves by goalkeepers on both sides kept the contest scoreless. The Crushers almost gained the upper hand nearing the final minutes of regulation time when a penalty kick was awarded to them after a Cobras foul in the box. Cobras goalkeeper Jonathan Reyes dove to his left and successfully blocked Shawn Spindel’s shot.

The Cobras also had some chances from close range, but an alert James De Leon picked up key diving saves to deny goals in regulation time. The Cobras managed to break the 0-0 deadlock 21 minutes into the second half of extra time when Jan Flores sent in a ground shot from the right side to the opposite post that escaped De Leon’s reach.

The Cobras will next play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Quality Distributors, a team that has made the finals of the tournament all five previous years and has won three times. Quality moved into the semifinals with a 5-3 win over the Paintco Strykers. With the score at 3-2 in favor of Quality in the second half, Quality’s Scott Spindel took advantage of a miscommunicated back pass from Adam Rudolph to Strykers goalkeeper J.R. Campos, intercepting the play. Spindel managed to run around Campos’ slide tackle, avoid Strykers defender F.J. Chargualaf, and send in his second goal of the contest. Later, Aaron Scott scored Quality’s final goal after falling on his run to the goal against Chargualaf. Campos came out of the goal on the play, but the ball had hit Scott’s knee away from Campos. Scott got up quickly and took a shot into the undefended goal. Aric Jorgensen and David John Cruz also scored for Quality. Jan-Willem Staman, Romaine Loney and Derek Bender scored the Strykers’ goals.

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