The ire of DLSU Head Coach, Hans Peter-Smit, was awakened when the Ateneo Blue Booters forced a scoreless draw in their second round meeting with archrival, La Salle, at Erenchun field last Sunday, February 13.
Frustrated, Coach Smit hurled a Gatorade bottle at the empty bench, puncturing a hole through the plastic wall of the dugout.
With UST winning against FEU in an earlier match, the pressure was on the Archers to win as well. Because of the draw, the Archers were denied of a chance at a top two finish in the tournament. As the second round draws to a close, UP and UST are perched on top, with DLSU and UE following in their wake as FEU and Ateneo sit at the bottom of the standings.
The draw by the Blue Booters might have just redeemed them from their embarrassing 5-1 bashing by DLSU in the first round.
Early on, the Blue Booters were hungry for vengeance, as shown in their aggressive start to the first half. Seconds after the opening whistle, captain, Luigi Meer, dashed through the left flank and discharged the first of many goal attempts by Ateneo.
Rookie wingman, Emman Paredes, played his role facilitating crosses which were headed or struck by teammates, Gab Siojo and Meer; but were unfortunately denied by La Salle keeper Patrick Deytu.
Ateneo’s back line of Miguel Tuazon, Mario Marcelo, Tom Cruel and Gabe Manalo, swarmed every DLSU attempt and cleaned up the trash, denying the Archers any easy strikes.
Rookie, Nathan Alquiros, led the DLSU offense with a loaded clip of accurate crosses and brilliant shots from the right wing. Alquiros went on all out attack mode—making sure Ateneo regretted the decision not to recruit him.
The rookie took six shots and tested Ateneo keeper, Joel Faustino. In one visit to Blue territory, Alquiros nearly scored as he beat Faustino with a fake, leaving the goal wide open. His shot, however, was denied by Tuazon, who came flying in to clear the ball to safety.
In spite of the miraculous save by Tuazon, Faustino was the hero for Ateneo as he denied everything the Archers threw at Ateneo. Faustino took clear shots to the chest, deflected shots in midair and slid numerous times to seize the rock. After the game, Faustino merely said, “I was really lucky.”
The second half slugged on for the green shirts, dying to score their first goal of the game. Faustino continued his monster performance, the Katipunan defense stood strong and the offense was creating chances.
The Loyola squad had many runs to the DLSU goal but was met with both misfortune and rejection by the DLSU defense. Paredes had clear but was halted by DLSU rookies and former high school teammates, Matt Nierras and Alquiros who denied their former captain.
Deyto, perhaps one of the best in the UAAP, also racked up saves for the Archers, denying any attempt that leaked through the DLSU defense.
Midway through the second half, Paredes went down due to cramps, and was soon replaced by fellow rookie Jose Sison.
The substitution saw a recharged offense. Siojo, Sison, Keith King and Francis Mendoza put on numerous passing relays, which created more offensive opportunities.
Still, despite the shift of momentum to Ateneo, the impressive flow and passing, Ateneo was unable to capitalize.
In the wake of a disappointing winless season, the Blue Booters came out against DLSU with all guns blazing, not showing any signs of brooding or a loss of hope. Senior Choy Kapunan declared “We’re fighting for our pride now. The strength also comes from the desire of the seniors to end the season on a high note”. Captain Meer added “We want to play with heart and finish strong.”
The Blue Booters next face FEU on Thursday, 3pm at Erenchun field.
