THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team (AMFT) continued their stellar University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 campaign with an emphatic 2-0 victory against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The game took place earlier this evening at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
This win solidifies the AMFT’s hold of the top seed with a 4-0-0 win-draw-loss standing in the group stage of the UAAP Men’s Football Tournament.
Now having scored in three of the Blue Eagles’ four assignments in Season 87, Dov Cariño bagged his second brace of the season in tonight’s match. Meanwhile, co-captain keeper Artuz Cezar led Ateneo’s lockdown effort, tallying his first clean sheet of the season.
From the blow of the opening whistle, the Fighting Maroons claimed momentum on their home turf. The defending champions closely marked each Blue Eagle defender while organizing an aggressive offensive charge.
Despite the Fighting Maroons’ three shots on target within the first 10 minutes, the Blue and White remained spotless courtesy of seasoned goalie Cezar who made a series of timely saves.
The UP offense continued to put pressure on Ateneo, intercepting multiple plays to limit openings for the Blue and White. However, a long range pass allowed the Blue Eagles to swiftly counterattack, finding star striker Cariño in the right flank in the 31st minute.
Showcasing utmost athleticism, Cariño sprinted past several UP defenders to go one-on-one with keeper Alfonso Gonzales, who was unable to halt the ace attacker’s decisive goal, 1-0.
Cezar continued to showcase his shot-stopping expertise in the 44th minute with a heroic save, while defenders Oswald Santillices and senior Jet Dela Cruz supplemented the keeper to cap off the first half.
From there, the Blue and White came out of the halftime break designing offensive forays on the right and left hand channels of the attacking third.
After a momentary spell of possessions on both ends, Joaquin Collo nearly brought another goal home for Ateneo in the 48th minute with his finesse shot that ricocheted off the opposing woodwork.
Keeping their momentum, the Blue Eagles persisted down the stretch of the Battle of Katipunan with counter-attacks that were eventually denied by Gonzales, who sought to stop the bleeding for UP.
Nonetheless, in what was a spectacular display of technical ability, Cariño caught fire in the 87th minute as he outclassed the Maroon fullbacks with a dazzling step over to deliver a crisp finish, 2-0.
The dying minutes saw Ateneo amp up the defense as Cezar and fullback Fonzy Escobin halted the offensive push made by their Katipunan rival. Until the final whistle, the Blue Eagles fought with tenacity to secure the clean-sheeted statement victory against the defending champions.
As Cariño’s long-time mentor, Coach JP Merida expressed his satisfaction on the ace’s performance so far in Season 87.
“My coaching staff [and I] are very happy with his performance, even during training […] he’s happy and he wants to prove himself to the other teams,” the Ateneo tactician shared.
The Blue Eagles look to stay on top of the standings as they take on the University of Santo Tomas Golden Booters on Sunday, October 20, at 4:00 PM in the same venue.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (2): Cezar (GK), Maquiling (C), Cariño, Lim, Dela Cruz, Escobin, Santillices, Fernandez, Arias, Collo, Bengson
UP (0): Gonzales (GK), Lampayan, Lobitaña, Almodal, Tobias, Caraig, Galsim, Saludez, Donato, Tacardon, Garces
Standings – Points (Goal Difference):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 12 (+8)
- FEU Tamaraws – 9 (+8)
- UE Red Warriors – 7 (0)
- DLSU Green Booters – 4 (-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons – 3 ( 0)
- UST Golden Booters – 3 (-1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 0 (-11)
