THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) gained another draw, 2-2, in Ang Liga Season 19 after going up against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Baby Tamaraws earlier today at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Field in Quezon City.
This stalemate with the Baby Tamaraws puts the Blue Eagles at a 2-2-0 win-draw-loss standing in the preseason tilt.
Ateneo opened the contest with strong defensive effort and impressive offensive agility to stifle the feisty FEU squad. Dov Carino and Leo Maquiling paved the way for the Blue and White, creating opportunities to score early on. At the seventeenth minute mark, Defender Jet Dela Cruz successfully drew first blood after a precise corner kick by Maquiling, 1-0.
Soon after, the veteran midfielder continued his masterclass performance after taking advantage of the Baby Tamaraw goalie’s spillage at the box to effortlessly bring Ateneo to a 2-0 lead.
However, in a moment of lacking coverage from the Katipunan-based squad, the Baby Tamaraws executed a well-orchestrated sequence to maneuver past the Blue Eagles and score at the thirty-third minute. The Blue Eagles continued their defensive efforts till the end of the first half, 2-1.
FEU regrouped to start the second half with a hungrier offense, putting pressure on Blue Eagle defenders from the onset. Not long after, the Tamaraws went for a high ball shot which bested Artuz Cezar at his post, bringing FEU back on level terms, 2-2.
The rest of the contest saw increased aggressiveness from both teams, but Ateneo successfully contained all crucial scoring attempts from FEU to close the match at a draw.
After the contest, Maquiling shared that it was the team’s complacency that hindered their chances to take the lead in the second half of the match. “Once the score was 2-1, some of us were too relaxed. Instead of going up, our defense stayed down and we stopped attacking,” Ateneo’s number 10 noted.
The Blue Eagles look to get back in the win column as they face the University of the East Red Warriors on Saturday, October 8, at 1:30 PM in the same venue.
