ANOTHER POSTSEASON berth clinched for the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they forced a draw against archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Booters, 2-2. The elimination round finale matchup occurred earlier this evening at the University of the Philippines Football Stadium in Quezon City.
Up by three points in the standings to DLSU prior to the match, the Ateneo Blue Eagles secured the last slot in the Final Four after today’s contest ended in a stalemate, putting the Blue and White at 18 points and the Taft-based XI at 16.
The Green Booters immediately made their mark from the onset of the half, as John Paul Bengay drew first blood to put DLSU in the driver’s seat less than three minutes into the action, 1-0.
With tensions escalating early in the game, Green Booter Suarez got called for a yellow card after an altercation with Ateneo’s Jethro Flores at the ninth minute mark. Fernando Roxas followed this exchange up with an off-ball play that grazed over the crossbar to keep them behind.
Momentum then shifted to the side of Ateneo as they maintained ball possession for the next 15 minutes which was filled with a series of attempts at the box.
Looking to continue Ateneo’s stride, Golden Boot candidate Kofi Agyei towered over a herd of Green Booters with a header that knotted the ballgame up during the 30th minute, 1-1.
Shaken by the equalizer, DLSU attempted to rally back but failed to regain the lead in the dying minutes of the first half. Goalkeeper Artuz Cezar of the Blue Eagles then denied Franck Anoh’s last-second attempt at the box heading into halftime with the score level at 1-1.
Kicking off the second half, both teams traded offense in hopes of capturing the lead. At the 56th minute, Ateneo would gain the upper-hand as Midfielder Fernando Roxas swished one in to give the Katipunan-based squad its first lead of the game, 2-1.
Now needing two goals to grab the last Final Four slot, DLSU laid all their cards on deck to salvage their season. Green Booter Paolo Go failed to convert a free kick attempt with 64 minutes on the clock to keep the score in favor of Ateneo, 2-1.
Feeling the urgency, the Green Booters managed to find their footing to get back in the game. Team Captain Mohammad Almohjili banked in a spectacular volley shot from the left side to put the game at a deadlock, 2-2, in the 73rd minute.
With momentum switching to the Taft-based troop, Ateneo shifted their focus on preventing DLSU from scoring. This sequence would remain until the final whistle, where Almohjili’s last-minute attempt was halted by a group of Blue Eagles at the 93rd minute. With the whistle sounding after the 95th minute, Ateneo punched their ticket to the Final Four while simultaneously eliminating the Green Booters.
At the conclusion of the match, Blue Eagles Team Captain Jose Lopez leaves more to be desired heading into the next stage. “We have to assess what happened today and what happened in the previous games against FEU [in order to get the win],” he said.
Ateneo now aims to make a third straight Finals appearance by usurping the defending champions Far Eastern University Tamaraws next week, May 9, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the City of Manila.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (2): Cezar, Flores, Santilices, Salud, Dela Cruz, Agyei, Maquiling, F. Roxas, J. Lopez (C), Abaa, Fernandez
DLSU (2): Mangaoang, Cruel, Go, Henares, Anoh, Peñalosa (C), Suarez III, Lozano, Bengay, Abela, Labayen
Current Table (Points):
FEU Tamaraws (28)
UP Fighting Maroons (27)
UST Golden Booters (20)
ATENEO Blue Eagles (18)
DLSU Green Booters (16)
UE Red Warriors (7)
AdU Soaring Falcons (3)
