AFTER SIX hard-fought games, Ateneo Ultimate (AU) finished sixth out of nine teams in the collegiate division of the National Ultimate Collegiate Championship (NUCC) 2023 tournament. The brief two-day competition was held on July 22 and 23 at the Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa City.
Day one
Ateneo bested Group C’s University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and Mapúa University during their round-robin games, before falling against Group A’s undefeated University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) in the qualification round.
Matchup versus UPLB
AU began the opening day of the tournament with an early matchup against UPLB, where the Blue Eagles displayed their might against the resilient Laguna-based side.
Chi Garchitorena led the way for the Blue Eagles with an all-around effort producing two goals, one assist, and one block. Additionally, Mao Sabarre followed suit with two goals of his own. The game at field #4 saw an all-around team effort victory for the Katipunan-based team, which had seven different players score in the contest.
Aside from Garchitorena and Sabarre, Ateneo’s offensive line composed of Kyle Ozo, Alfonso Abrogar, and Rafa Reyes proved to be a productive supporting cast—helping Ateneo rack up a total of nine goals in the shootout to win, 9-7. The Blue and White’s defensive line also played its part, as they were able to limit UPLB just enough to come away with the victory and open up their NUCC campaign on a high note.
Matchup versus Mapúa
Looking to build off their opening game victory, the Katipunan-based AU faced Mapúa University in what proved to be a nail-biting affair. From the onset, Ateneo’s calculated play reaped rewards, as Mika Medina’s pass found Rafa Reyes in the end zone for a goal at the 5:07 mark of the game.
In the 18th minute, an incomplete Ateneo pass led to Mapúa executing their fast-paced offense to deadlock the game at one apiece. AU’s Zach Labayen swiftly responded with a highlight-reel goal caught in traffic; followed by a downfield throw received by Joemar Valenzuela in the 33rd minute that padded AU’s lead, 3-1.
However, a string of errors from the Blue Eagles coupled with Mapúa’s textbook playmaking allowed the Cardinals to mount a rally and seize control of the game in the 53rd minute, taking a 4-3 advantage.
Facing a one-point deficit down the stretch, the Blue and White gutted out a defensive stop and set up a clutch score to enter sudden death. AU carried its momentum into overtime, putting together a masterful drive capped by Cheska Hufano’s connection with Micka Luna in the end zone to capture a gritty 5-4 victory.
Matchup versus UPD
To cap off the first day, Ateneo went up against the 2022 NUCC collegiate division champions, UPD. The Katipunan rivals remain unscathed while both heading into the game with 2-0 records.
Although the Blue Eagles started proceedings on the offensive side, UPD drew first blood at the seven-minute mark thanks to a goal by Pop Aldaba. Eight minutes later, Ateneo clapped back with a terrific dish by Esther Garchitorena to Alfonso Abregar as they evened things out at one apiece.
Valenzuela’s tenacious defense then prevented the Maroons from drawing close to a game-leading goal before getting denied. After a minute, Valenzuela quickly turned defense into offense as he threw an assist to Luna at the end zone to give Ateneo its first lead at the 19-minute mark, 2-1.
After a clean play ruling going in their favor, UPD equalized the game in the 21st minute. However, Ateneo returned the favor after a Labayen goal off a Medina feed restored their one-point lead, 3-2. UPD’s Carmy Cruz then jump-started a four-to-nothing scoring run for the defending champions, as they overwhelmed the challengers with their tremendous offense to extend their advantage, 3-6.
Ateneo’s attempts at a comeback would remain futile after a dropped disc at the goal line from Kyle Joshua Ozo’s spectacular catch over two Maroon defenders. The Blue Eagles failed to disrupt UPD’s scoring streak as The Fighting Maroons rode their hot momentum until the end to extend the lead by five and come out on top of the bout, 8-3.
Day two
The final day of the NUCC tourney proved to be overwhelming for the Blue and White, losing all three outings by a cumulative margin of 12 points. The Blue Eagles were first outclassed by Palawan State University (PSU) in their final qualification round assignment, 5-10. Ateneo was then unsuccessful in punching in a ticket to the tournament semifinals in their bout against De La Salle University (DLSU), 7-10. Finally, with a chance to end their campaign in winning fashion, the Blue Eagles succumbed to the University of Santo Tomas (UST), 5-9, in the battle for fifth place.
Crossover matchup versus PSU
AU started the second leg of their NUCC quest against PSU, Group B’s first-seeded squad, who also kneeled against Group A’s finest UPD during their crossover matchup on day one. Both the Blue Eagles and PSU held a 2-1 record right before the whistle.
Right off the bat, PSU showed their viciousness on the field as the tournament debutants immediately took the lead, 0-1, with less than five minutes into the match.
Ateneo then responded by keeping the pace slow as they passed the disc on the defensive side until they found an opportunity to attack. The Katipunan-based squad’s patience paid off as Reyes dived for a catch at the goal line to tie the game, 1-1, during the 12th minute.
PSU then turned defense into offense as they denied a throw from Javelosa that yielded a point for PSU, 1-2, at the 15-minute mark.
Ateneo refused to back down as they persisted with their patient offensive strategy until Abrogar located Mika Torrevillas wide open at the goal line during the 18th minute to level the contest again, 2-2.
The Ateneans then amped up their intensity on the defensive end as Enzo Dagdag interrupted a long throw attempt from PSU. Javelosa then capitalized from the previous defensive play as he found the open man at the goal line to give Ateneo its first lead at the 22-minute mark, 3-2.
The tides then turned against Ateneo after committing a series of defensive errors that led to five straight unanswered points for PSU. The Palawan-based squad saw itself controlling the helm of the game, 3-7, 45 minutes into the match.
The blue-jersey-donning squad, with their backs against the wall, kept on fighting as Andrei Joson’s scrappy dive at the goal line netted them their right before the soft cap, 4-7.
PSU then scored another goal to regain their four-point lead. However, Ateneo remained unfazed as Labayen lept for a captivating block to deny PSU another goal. Medina got one back for the trailing Blue Eagle squad, 5-8, with five minutes left on the board.
Ateneo’s chances of a podium finish were slimmed as PSU responded with two goals, right before and after the hard cap was announced to officially seal the deal. The Western disc throwers finished the game, 10-5, showcasing why many considered their squad the dark horse of the tournament.
Pre-semis matchup versus DLSU
After reeling off qualification round losses to UPD and PSU, AU entered the pre-semifinals bracket in a do-or-die matchup versus rivals DLSU. Starting off the contest on the defensive end, the Blue Eagles employed a man-to-man defensive scheme, which ultimately failed to counter the opposition’s breakside attack as the Green Archers drew first blood. In the following sequence, Ateneo’s first offensive possession resulted in a turnover, with La Salle cashing in on the mishap by scoring an easy goal.
Facing a 0-2 deficit, Ateneo’s Esther Gachitorena and Alfonso Abrogar’s connection at the end zone sparked a 2-0 Blue Eagle counter run to deadlock the game. Despite AU’s efforts to capture control of the contest, fatigue, and turnovers compromised Ateneo’s momentum as they yielded four unanswered DLSU goals, 2-6.
Despite Ateneo’s increasingly-productive possessions, DLSU kept firing on all cylinders as the match approached its home stretch, with the Taft-based unit banking on its sustained defensive pressure and unselfish offense to take a 9-4 advantage.
AU finished the last 10 minutes of the game valiantly by scoring three quick goals but ultimately bowed out of contention for a podium finish in a 7-10 loss.
Matchup for fifth place versus UST
After bowing to DLSU in the pre-semis, AU was relegated to the fifth-place consolation match against UST, wherein the Blue Eagles fell short once again, 5-9.
Coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses, Ateneo’s bid for a fifth-place finish proved to be too much of a physical and mental obstacle for the Blue and White.
“We need to improve the energy of our sideline supporters, we missed today the spirit that we had in yesterday’s universal-point winner against Mapúa,” said AU spirit captain Iya Javelosa.
Javelosa also added that the team needs to improve on their decision-making on the field moving forward as they lacked organized disc play executions in their last four outings.
AU finished their NUCC 2023 campaign in sixth place, garnering a 2-4 win-loss record across the two-day competition.
Meanwhile, UPD successfully defended their collegiate crown against PSU in the final, 13-11.
