THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) falls short with their clash against archrival De La Salle Green Booters, last March 19 at the University of the Philippines (UP) Football Stadium. Leo Maquiling’s penalty kick in the second-half put the AMFT on level terms with DLSU, who scored an early goal in the first half, but a last minute corner kick from DLSU sealed the Blue Eagles’ loss.
This defeat drops the AMFT to fourth out of seventh place with a 3-2-1 win-loss-draw record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Men’s Football Tournament.
The AMFT had a good chance for the opening goal in the early minutes of the match as Dov Cariño almost penetrates a score against DLSU’s goalkeeper, courtesy of Maquiling’s corner kick.
[First Half]
— Mookie Borja (@Mooks_TheGUIDON) March 19, 2023
5’ – Off a beautiful corner from Maquiling, Dov Cariño nearly puts one past the DLSU goalkeeper.
Ateneo 0 DLSU 0 #UAAPFootball
Despite the relentless hunt of the Green Booters to secure the lead of the match, Artuz Cezar managed to shut down DLSU’s attempt of a goal three consecutive times, which kept the game in a deadlock. Cezar’s defenses were once again put to the test in the 22nd minute as he denied a DLSU player from scoring a free kick.
The Blue and White had another chance of a goal at the 35th minute with Maquiling’s free kick, but was unsuccessful in finding its target. The first half ended with both the Blue Eagles and Green Booters unable to sink in a goal.
The second half saw more of the same attempts from both the AMFT and DLSU that nearly resulted in the teams’ maiden goals, but were consistently contained by Cezar and the DLSU goalkeeper.
The team from Taft gained an advantage on the field, as Blue Eagle BJ Cordero was sent off the field early after a red card was called due to a hard tackle. With Ateneo down one man, the Green Booters did not miss the opportunity to capitalise on the advantage as they scored a goal, placing DLSU ahead on the 73rd minute, 0-1.
The AMFT stayed relentless in finding the net, and eventually Maquiling’s penalty kick is what smashes the ball into the net, which tied the game, 1-1. However, a last minute corner kick by a DLSU player led to the Green Booters leading and winning the match, 1-2.
The AMFT will look to go back in the winning column during the second round of the UAAP Football tournament.
