Cibao FC Seeks its Tenth Final in the LDF against Pantoja
Santiago, Dominican Republic – Cibao FC is preparing for its ninth semifinal in the Dominican Republic Football League (LDF). This Saturday, the team will face Club Atlético Pantoja in a match that promises strong emotions. The match, dedicated to the memory of doctor José Rafael Abinader, will begin at 4:00 in the afternoon at the Panamericano stadium.
In their eight previous semifinal appearances, the orange team has managed to advance to the final on seven occasions, accumulating an impressive record of five titles and two runner-up finishes.Cibao FC’s Semifinals History
The first Cibao FC semifinal was in 2016, precisely against Pantoja. After a back-and-forth match, Cibao FC won one match and tied the other, which allowed them to advance to the final, where they fell to Club Barcelona.
In 2017, in its second semifinal, Cibao FC faced Atlántico FC, losing in a close series that was decided by penalties, with a score of 4-2.
In 2018, Cibao FC managed to defeat Pantoja in the semifinals and then was crowned champion against San Francisco de Macorís.
The year 2019 was special, as Cibao FC played two semifinals, one in the opening tournament and another in the closing tournament, surpassing Moca FC and Atlético Vega Real.
In the 2020 tournament, marked by the pandemic, they fell in the semifinals against the Eastern Dolphins.
In 2021, Cibao FC defeated Pantoja in the semifinals and was crowned champion against Vega Real in the final.
In 2022, the Mocanos were once again victims of the Naranjas in the semifinals, and in the final, the Cibao team defeated the Guerreros de Pantoja.
In the 2023 semi-final, Atlántico FC was surpassed by Cibao FC, who then became champions against Moca FC.
In 2024, Cibao FC defeated Universidad O&M in the final, obtaining their fourth consecutive title.Cibao FC led the Liguilla with 30 points, the result of 8 victories, 6 draws and only one defeat.
For his part, Pantoja placed in fourth position with 19 points, after adding 4 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses.Top Goalscorers
At Cibao FC, Rivaldo Correa and Ángel Pérez lead the goalscoring chart with 10 goals each. Edwarlyn Reyes has scored 6, while Julio César Murillo, Wilman Modesta and Cesarín Ortiz have 4 goals each. Yunior Peralta, Javier Roces, Walter Acuña, Julián Gómez and Leonardo Villalba complete the list with 2 goals each.
Pantoja has Louka Bertran as its top scorer, with 14 goals. Carlos Sarante has scored 8 goals, Fabricio Moreno 5, and José Jaquez and Jeremy Báez have 3 goals each.
