THE ATENEO Taekwondo Team kicked off their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 campaign yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
Despite maintaining poise in their opening Kyorugi bouts, the Men’s Team sustained consecutive defeats against the National University (NU) Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Jins.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Team split their debut matches against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Jins and the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons.
Men’s Match vs. NU
The Ateneo Men’s Taekwondo Team got off to a rocky start to the season as they faltered against defending champions NU in their opening bout. Struggling to anticipate his opponent’s lethal counters, Team Captain Angelo Mikael Santiago dropped his opening match to give the Bulldogs an early cushion, 0-1.
In a similar fashion, sophomore Rynne Barrios’ initial offensive onslaught and aggressive clinching did not suffice as his Sampaloc-based rival got the better of the exchanges, 0-2.
The consecutive matches then saw rookies Gabe Samson and Wreily Canao’s first appearances for the Blue and White. However, the touted rookies also stumbled in their debuts as they were on the receiving end of ferocious blows from their Sampaloc-based counterparts. With the Bulldogs commanding the terrain, the Blue Eagles further plummeted to a 0-5 team-bout deficit.
Despite the consecutive losses, Carl Williams showcased his tactical precision and rapid advances to nab the Blue Eagles’ first win against the Bulldogs. In the third-round decider, Williams landed a couple of emphatic side roundhouse kicks that wobbled his opponent. Gaining a significant scoring advantage from the quick hits to the head, the Blue Eagle ultimately edged his foe two rounds to one, 1-5.
After the promising victory, however, the Katipunan-based jins were immediately dealt with another loss in the last team-bout as they were unable to withstand NU’s flurry of combinations, 1-6.
Men’s Match vs. DLSU
With renewed ardor, the Blue and White stepped once again on the mats to face their rivals, the DLSU Green Jins. However, La Salle’s relentless pressure and timely maneuvers proved to be a tall task for the Blue Eagles as they incurred a sweeping loss.
Headlining the Blue and White’s second team bout of the day was Team Captain Santiago, who was narrowly eked out in a technically fought contest by his Taft-based rival, 0-1.
Barrios immediately followed suit and displayed remarkable use of footwork and stance switching in the first round to elude his opponent. Despite Barrios’ terrific start, his opponent began to land at will, hampering the sophomore’s chances of gaining momentum in the match, 0-2.
The Blue Eagles sustained further losses in the succeeding matches, as the last three bouts saw the Katipunan-based jins struggle to fend off their opponents’ quick triggers. For Williams and Calao, their measured aggressions and brilliant distance coverage fell short as they failed to decipher their rivals’ thunderous stabs. The remaining Blue Eagles all fell to a two-round sweep, conceding a one-sided loss against the DLSU Green Jins, 0-7.
Women’s Match vs. UST
To kickstart the Women’s campaign, the Blue Eagles went toe-to-toe against the defending champion UST Tiger Jins. The Blue and White were dealt with a 1-5 beatdown in their team opening bout.
The first match saw Ateneo’s Rain Ramon getting outclassed by her adversary in a low-scoring affair that ultimately gave UST an early 0-1 lead.
In the subsequent matchup, Blue Eagle Rigel Dumat-ol mounted a late comeback, battling back oom a 4-10 deficit and narrowing it down to 7-10. However, the Atenean’s effort was not enough to seal the win for the Blue and White, leading to a 0-2 disadvantage for the Ateneo
The Blue Eagles’ third clash proved to be a masterclass in offense as Keir Atendido could not respond to her combatant’s prolific kicks. This victory further extended the lead of the España-based unit, putting the UST Lady Jins up, 0-3.
The same story unfolded in the fourth duel of the bout, as Ateneo’s Kenshin Bonos was held to zero points—putting UST at the precipice of securing the victory with a 4-0 lead.
Unwilling to give up a sweep, the Katipunan-based side gained their first win of the season during the fourth match after James Macasaet successfully outdueled her España-based opponent. In the final duel, however, Kamille Calaycay had difficulty penetrating her foe’s diligent defense, which eventually gave the Ateneo Blue Eagles a 0-1 start to their Season 87 stint.
Women’s Match vs. UP
Following their first-game loss, the Blue Eagles came in focused against the UP Fighting Maroons and responded with a resounding 5-1 win.
In their opening bout against Ateneo’s Katipunan neighbors, Bucao played a more defensive style compared to her last match, ultimately coming out victorious to give the Blue Eagles an early 1-0 advantage.
Identically playing out similarly to the first match, Dumat-ol went toe-to-toe with her adversary in a three-round blender. Amid the tight affair, Dumat-ol’s front kick to her opponent’s head in round three was enough to seal the deal, giving her team a comfortable 2-0 cushion.
Though eager to continue the momentum for the Blue and White, Attendido faltered against her foe despite making adjustments and good counterattacks.
Following Attendido’s loss, Bonos made sure to avenge her teammate’s defeat by using her footwork to ward off her opponent’s attacks. In the three-round match, Bonos came out victorious to hand Ateneo a 3-1 lead.
Building off Bonos’ stellar showing, Macasaet returned to the mat for the Blue Eagles. The Atenean successfully evaded her opponent’s offense and showcased her brilliant display of knowledge and instincts to bring Ateneo closer to its first win of the season, 4-1.
Putting the finishing touches on the rousing Ateneo win was Kamille Calaycay, who came back from a 0-3 deficit to win the match, claiming a 5-1 victory against the Fighting Maroons.
Looking to improve their respective performances, the Blue Eagles will be back in action today in the same venue. The Men’s Team will face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons at 6:30 PM.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Team will take on the National University Lady Bulldogs, De La Salle University Jins, and the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws at 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM, and 5:00 PM, respectively.
Men’s Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (2-0)
- DLSU Green Jins (2-0)
- UST Tiger Jins (2-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-2)
- FEU Tamaraws (0-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-2)
Women’s Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Lady Jins (2-0)
- UST Lady Jins (2-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (1-0)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (0-3)
