THE ATENEO Men’s Football team continued their strong start of the season in their 3-0 victory over the National University (NU) Bulldogs on Thursday, February 9, at the Moro Lorenzo Field in Ateneo de Manila University.
The win puts the Blue Eagles at a 2-0-0 record with a +7 goal difference in Season 79 of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Football tournament.
NU started aggressive early on, controlling most of possession in the first half of the match, while the Blue Eagles’ play was flat at the start of the game. In the 2nd minute, the Bulldogs came close to scoring from a free kick but Arcilla denied this with an acrobatic save to keep the game scoreless.
Unfortunately for the Blue Eagles, the team encountered some injury problems in the first half. Team Captain Carlo Liay appeared to have injured his leg after an improper landing from a header and Nino Herrera had to be treated for leg issues as well. Both were subbed off within the first 16 minutes of the match.
In the 37th minute, the first yellow card of the match was shown to Marvin Viray of NU after a reckless tackle on Julian Roxas. The Bulldogs controlled much of possession during the first half, but Ateneo was finally able to score in the counter, with Jarvey Gayoso assisting to Sam Lim. The rookie striker was able to score, right before the halftime whistle sounded, after his initial shot was deflected, and it gave Ateneo the lead.
A few seconds after the second half started, Ateneo earned a penalty after Ross Lawagan took down Roxas inside the box. He was shown a red card and was sent off, and Gayoso calmly took and scored the spot kick, doubling the Blue Eagles’ lead.
With NU down to 10 men, the game opened up for the blue booters. Their scoring opportunities increased and played better as a unit compared to the previous half. In the 73rd minute, Rupert Baña came close to scoring a wonder goal, with his one-touch, acrobatic volley hitting the crossbar. The Blue Eagles got their third of the game after Roxas threaded a smooth pass to Ceniza, who finished it with a right footed effort that found the back of the net. The team held on and finished the game with a clean sheet.
After the game, Coach JayPee Merida was impressed with the new players in the team. “[The rookies] are motivated talaga, at kaya nilang i-handle ang UAAP at ang pressures and [ang] demands sa field. Maganda ang system na nilalaro nila.” (The rookies are really motivated, and they can handle the UAAP and its pressures and the demands on the field.)
Their next game will be against University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, February 12, 6PM at the Rizal Memorial Field.
Starting XIs:
Ateneo: Arcilla, Ceniza, Gayoso, Grierson, Herrera, Jarvis, Liay (c), Lim, Poe, Rocha, Roxas
NU: Colina, Dagsa, Gomez, Jalandoni, Lawagan, Marcaida, Pepito, Sampaga, Sullano, Valenzuela (c), Viray
Substitutions: 15′ Castillo on for Liay, 16′ Haosen on for Herrera, 56′ Baña on for Lim, 85′ Alilam on for Gayoso, 87′ Gaudiel on for Ceniza, 88′ Nacional on for Jarvis
The Ateneo Blue Eagles win their second match in the season, defeating the NU Bulldogs, 3-0
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/uaap-season-79
