EXPERIENCING ANOTHER rocky slate of performances, the Ateneo Women’s Taekwondo Team tallied one win against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Jins, and two losses to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Jins. Meanwhile in the Men’s Division, the Blue Eagles faltered to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in their sole bout of the day.
Both squads competed on their second day of UAAP Season 87 yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the City of Manila.
These results put the Women’s Team at a 2-3 record and the Men’s at a 0-3 record, placing fourth and fifth in the standings respectively.
Women’s Match vs. NU
Hoping to build upon their 1-1 record, the Blue Eagles faced the Lady Bulldogs to begin their second-day matchups. However, despite their resounding performance in their previous win, the Blue Eagles were ultimately swept, losing 0-6.
The opening contest saw Blue Eagle newcomers, Rain Ramon and Rigel Dumat-ol concede 0-2 to their respective matchups. These losses quickly gave NU the advantage to lead the bout, 0-2.
Despite maintaining a close scoreline in the opening stages of her matchup, veteran Kier Atiendido ultimately fell to her opponent in a dominant win for the Lady Bulldogs, 14-0, furthering their advantage to 0-3.
As the match continued, the Blue Eagles struggled to regain control, with Kenshin Bonos eventually succumbing to her opponent in a low-scoring bout that saw the Jhocson-based side maintain their lead, 0-4.
Looking to get the team back on track, Team Captain James Macasaet and rookie Kamille Calaycay attempted to secure the team’s first win of the day with the hopes of gaining momentum for their next matchup. However, both Macasaet and Calaycay came up short, ending the match with a 0-6 defeat and absorbing their second loss of the campaign, 1-3.
Women’s Match vs. DLSU
After losing their opening matchup, the Blue Eagles were determined to secure their first win of the day against their bitter rivals. However, the Blue and White ultimately fell in similar fashion to their previous outing, losing 0-6.
The beginning of the second round saw Ramon open the bout, eventually succumbing to the opposition, 0-2, and giving the Lady Jins the early advantage, 0-1. In a low-scoring affair, both sides struggled to generate attacks, scoring a total of four points throughout the contest.
Refusing to back down, Ateneo’s Dumat-ol built on early advantages in her matchup to take quick leads. Despite this, her opponent eventually regained control in both rounds, silencing the Blue Eagle and widening the gap, 0-2.
The pair of Atendido and Bonos soon followed suit, also failing to secure the team’s first-round win of the day, losing to their respective opponents, 0-2, as the Taft-based squad dashed any hopes of a Blue and White comeback.
Unwilling to back down, Macasaet, backed behind well-timed punches, secured the Blue Eagles their first-round win to lead the contest, 1-0. Undeterred, the Lady Jins were determined to maintain their dominance as they took the lead once more, taking the next two rounds to cement their 0-5 advantage.
To close out the matchup, Calaycay took to the mats once more in the hopes of eking out a win for the Blue and White. However, the offensive firepower of her opponent proved to be too much as she was quickly taken down en route to their second loss of the day, 0-6, with their overall standing amounting to 1-3.
Women’s Match vs. FEU
Aiming for redemption in their final contest of the day, the Blue Eagles jumped out to a great start with Ramon conquering her Morayta-based opponent to take first blood against the Lady Jins, 1-0.
Despite the exhilarating start, Ateneo immediately faced adversity as Dumat-Ol was conquered by her FEU counterpart, falling in two straight rounds and equalizing the bout, 1-1.
Atendido snatched the momentum right back for Ateneo, as the veteran utilized multiple quick and aggressive sequences of kicks to sweep her opponent and provide the Blue Eagles with their second win of the match, 2-1.
In yet another highly contested and physical bout, Bonos endured an onslaught of attacks from her opponent to force a do-or-die final round. However, this proved to be too much for the Blue Eagles as she flamed out in the third round, once again bringing the contest to a stalemate, 2-2.
Unfazed by the moment, Macasaet showcased great reaction time and a barrage of heavy kicks on her way to a clean sweep of her adversary to take the pivotal 3-2 team-tie lead for her squad.
Mirroring the events of Bonos’ outing, Calaycay found herself in a deciding third round versus FEU. In an impressive showing of grit, the rookie shone under pressure and secured the Blue and White’s sole victory of the day, 4-2.
Men’s Match vs. UP
Starting off the sole men’s match of the day was Team Captain Angelo Santiago, who despite prevailing in a landslide first-round victory against his Diliman-based opponent, faltered in the succeeding two rounds, placing Ateneo at a 0-1 deficit.
Next up for the Loyola Heights-based squad was Rynne Barrios, who struggled to keep up with his opponent’s lightning-quick attacks, leading him to concede two straight rounds, extending UP’s lead to 2-0.
With Gabe Samson unable to compete due to his season-ending nose injury, the Fighting Maroons were awarded the third bout by default, effectively digging the Blue Eagles into a 0-3 hole.
Adding insult to injury, Wreilly Canao was unable to tally a victory against his opponent, putting Ateneo down, 0-4.
Providing a glimmer of excellence for the Blue Eagles was Carl Williams as the veteran’s flashy and aggressive style of play resulted in a pair of dominant victories, cutting his team’s deficit to 1-4.
However, this momentum failed to carry over to the final bout of the contest as Carlos David conceded a sweep against his Fighting Maroon foe, handing Ateneo the 1-5 defeat.
The Blue Eagles will conclude their UAAP Season 87 Taekwondo tournaments today, at 10:30 AM in the same venue.
Men’s Standings (W-L):
- DLSU Green Jins (5-0)
- NU Bulldogs (3-1)
- UST Tiger Jins (2-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-3)
- FEU Jins (0-4)
Women’s Standings (W-L):
- UST Lady Jins (4-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (3-0)
- DLSU Lady Jins (3-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-3)
- UP Fighting Maroons (0-3)
- FEU Lady Jins (0-4)
