Mungkas to face Uni in repeat of grand final

By ISAAC LIRI
IN a replay of last year’s grand final, men’s premier sides Mungkas FC and University Inter FC will face off in the Port Moresby Soccer Association on Saturday.
Coming off a 4-0 win over FC Genesis in round two last weekend, defending champions Mungkas will be looking to overcome University to remain in the winner’s circle.
Mungkas will be banking on their National Soccer League (NSL) players Abel Redenut and Luke Kaprangi Jr, and other charges like Edwin Taberia, Moses Asiri and Basil Jofari.
University, who are coming off a 1-1 draw with Cosmos FC, will have Southern Strikers’ Richard Alois, John Ray and Kenneth Ara to help the side push for a win.
Competition manager Paul Karambi predicted a thriller and urged football followers to make their way to Bisini to be part of the excitement.
“Both sides have some NSL players and it is going to be an exciting game to watch,” Karambi said.
The other premier game on Saturday will see PS Rutz go up against FC Genesis. PS Rutz are coming off a 4-2 loss to Keleruina and will be desperate for a win.
Genesis, who had a good strong win against Cosmos in round one but failed to continue that momentum against Mungkas, will be eager to find some consistency.
“I think our defensive line was poor last weekend, so we’re working to correct that when we play PS Rutz on Saturday,” Genesis coach Percy Mataio said.
“We will have the services of PNG Kapuls captain Michael Foster and veteran Andrew Lepani, so hopefully we see some improvement in our defence. We also have goalkeeper Charlie Lepani, who will join us after spending time in the NSL with Madang FC, so I think we can come up with a strong performance.”
On Sunday, Cosmos will lock horns with Hood Lagoon’s Keleiruna.
The Central club gained promotion to the premier competition after a stellar season last year.
Coaches Ivish Olemah and John Mogi will be relying on their rookies to back up last week’s performance to show critics that the win was no fluke.