WITH KOFI Agyei’s hat trick, the Ateneo Men’s Football Team (AMFT) asserted dominance over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in their third University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 match, 4-0. The contest was held yesterday at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Field.
Courtesy of their second-straight victory, Ateneo overtakes the De La Salle University Green Booters for first place in the Season 86 standings with seven points.
The bout began with a fiery start as both teams aggressively looked to gain an early lead. Despite early numerous free kicks, the Red Warriors failed to convert a single goal, as Blue and White goalkeeper Artuz Cezar stood firm with a series of impressive saves. Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles made several concerted efforts to find the back of the net, but their shots were off-target or intercepted by the Red Warriors’ goalkeeper in the 9th and 27th minutes.
The Katipunan-based squad started to gain momentum offensively by generating an uptick in attacks. From a Galen Fernandez cross, Agyei booked the first goal in the 37th minute. The UE squad attempted to equalize the score but failed, leading to another Agyei goal in the 44th minute that doubled Ateneo’s lead before the break.
Both teams entered the second half of the matchup with the same pace of aggression offensively and defensively. The Blue Eagles had multiple attempts to score through the net but were met by the Red Warriors’ defense. However, Ateneo’s zealous offense was too much to contain as Agyei nailed a header in the 70th minute to seal a sensational hat trick, calling it a day two minutes later.
Despite the match nearing its end, the Blue and White showed constant and unrelenting drive on the field as Marco Salud scored an 87th-minute header to put the nail in UE’s coffin, 4-0.
When Agyei was asked about his three-goal outing, he said, “It feels good, I was so happy to help my team win the game today.” The prolific Ateneo striker also shared that the team will prepare for their match against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws by always training and ensuring a ready mindset.
The Blue and White hopes to continue their winning streak in a highly-anticipated Finals rematch against Season 85 champions FEU, next Thursday, March 7, at 6:30 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (4): Agyei – ‘37, Agyei – ‘44, Agyei ‘70, Salud ‘87
UE (0)
Half Scores:
ATENEO-UE: 2-0, 4-0
Starting XI
Artuz Cezar (GK)
Christian Santilices
Wilmer Lopez
Marco Salud
Lorenzo Lucindo
Jet Dela Cruz
Galen Fernandez
Carlo Bautista
Kofi Agyei
Luard Abaa
Leo Maquiling
Current Table (Points)
- ATENEO (7)
- DLSU (6)
- FEU (3)
- UP (3)
- UST (3)
- UE (3)
- AdU (1)
