THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) will face a tougher road to keep their Final Four hopes alive after a 0-4 defeat to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The elimination bout in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Football Tournament was held earlier this evening at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
With tonight’s loss, the Blue and White remain in fifth with 15 points and a goal difference of -1. This places Ateneo one point behind De La Salle University (DLSU), who have played one game less than the Blue Eagles.
From the opening whistle, the Fighting Maroons came out to a strong start by dominating the offensive end of the field. Even with a slight setback with Austin Basconcillo succumbing to an injury, UP remained firm on keeping possession for the remainder of the half.
Limited by the Fighting Maroon defense, the Blue Eagles came up with scarce scoring opportunities within the first 45 minutes. The most prominent of these chances would come in the 34th minute with Leo Maquiling sending an incredible long ball that UP goalkeeper Jose Gonzalez just managed to save.
Despite the plethora of attempts from the Diliman-based side, it was Ateneo goalkeeper Artuz Cezar who kept the Fighting Maroons scoreless. The reigning Keeper of the Year had an impressive five-minute stretch with five saves at the backend of the half, the last of which was in the third minute of added time, heading into the break 0-0.
The Fighting Maroons maintained their mastery on the pitch and opened the second half with great offensive intensity. Less than six minutes in, Jet Dela Cruz committed a contact foul that merited a penalty kick—resulting in UP’s first goal by Ramil Bation III, 0-1.
To keep hold of the ball, the men in maroon continued to press high and intercept unstable passing from the Blue Eagles. Despite multiple throw-in opportunities midway through, the Ateneo defense continued to crumble while UP simultaneously gained momentum even further.
The Blue Eagles’ defensive woes continued as Bation III copped his brace off a cross to extend UP’s cushion in the 59th minute, 0-2. The Fighting Maroons then added another goal to their tally in the 78th minute off a miscue by the Blue Eagles, leading to Cian Galsim scoring off a rebound from Cezar’s dive, 0-3.
In what was already a blowout defeat for Ateneo, the Diliman-based booters still managed to hammer a final nail in the coffin in the 87th minute. The Loyola Heights-based squad was unable to counter UP’s final goal by forward Jan Donato, 0-4.
With a tough hill to climb to reach the semifinals, the Blue Eagles will face the Adamson University Soaring Falcons in a must-win bout on Sunday, April 21, 4:00 PM at the same venue.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (0): Cezar (GK), Flores, Lucindo, Salud Dela Cruz, Maquiling, F. Roxas, Abaa, Fernandez, Escobin, Bautista
UP (4): Gonzalez (GK), Lobitaña, Tobias, Caraig, Pagdanganan, Tacardon, Galsim, Basconcillo, Lampayan, Bode, Bation III
Standings – Points (Goal Difference):
- FEU Tamaraws – 22 (+14)
- UP Fighting Maroons – 21 (+8)
- UST Golden Booters – 17 (+10)
- DLSU Green Booters – 15 (+5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 14 (-1)
- UE Red Warriors – 4 (-19)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 3 (-17)
