OUTGUNNED BY superior firepower, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were dealt their first loss in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 VALORANT tournament, yielding to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Aces, 2-0. The tournament match was held this morning at the Quantum Skyview Deck of the Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
Despite the loss, Initiator player JM Amador proved to be a highlight as Icebox’s match Most Valuable Player, posting a 21/14 K/D (kill/death) statline as Sova.
Map One (Split – DLSU pick)
Ateneo and La Salle entered the defender-sided map with zero sentinels, as both squads look to end the group as the first seed.
Right from the get-go, the Blue Eagles fell to a 0-2 deficit after succumbing to pinpoint pickoffs by Green Aces’ Lance Novilla (Raze). Ateneo later tied the map during the gun round with excellent mid-round calls, 2-2, but eventually capitulated to DLSU’s surgical Sheriff play, 2-5. Midway through the match, the Blue Eagles failed to divert the Green Aces’ relentless offensive hammer, struggling to force a retake once, 2-7.
Keen on steering the game back to Ateneo’s hands, Alonso Lopez (Omen) summoned one last spurt of energy in the late rounds and took out the DLSU agents bit by bit. Despite the Blue Eagle’s effort, however, La Salle still reigned supreme in the majority of their gunfights, snatching Split with a 13-2 advantage.
Map Two (Icebox – Ateneo pick)
A map loss away from dropping the game, the Blue Eagles started Icebox on defense with a familiar composition of Killjoy (Joaquin Antonio), Sova (Amador), Gekko (Tristan Monsod), Viper (Lopez), and Jett (Stuart De Guia).
Suffering a rough start, the Jean Lowell Marcelo-coached unit suffered from Aaron Sablay’s dominant entry on Jett, as he dispatched four Blue Eagles to secure the opening pistol round. The Katipunan-based unit then continued to lose their individual battles, consistently getting caught off guard that worked to the Green Aces’ favor who capitalized and won four more rounds, 0-5.
Desperate to get on the scoreboard, Amador’s miraculously-timed Hunter’s Fury took down two attackers to help steal their first round win, 1-6. The eighth round built Ateneo’s much-needed confidence as the Blue Eagles were able to kill all five attackers with a flawless round, 2-6.
Riding on the momentum, Ateneo secured two more rounds as Antonio found impeccable timing on lurking Aces, while De Guia heated up with Operator kills, 4-6. Although the Blue and White reclaimed the lost rounds, the Green Aces refused an Ateneo comeback and recovered just in time to win the last two rounds and take the first half, 8-4.
Despite Ateneo’s eagerness in shifting the game’s momentum, consistent near-misses hindered their attack side, with Amador unable to convert a 1v3 pistol round post-plant clutch in the B site, 4-9. Precise gunplay from the Green Aces further secured their control of the game in the succeeding two rounds, highlighted by Novilla (KAY/O) winning his 1v1 against Monsod in Round 15, 11-4.
Aiming to salvage the series, the Katipunan-based squad’s audacious B site rush via Mid was stuffed by their Taft-based adversaries to concede series point, 4-12. The Blue Eagles were then unable to convert their slow push into the A site, as La Salle’s Sablay sealed Ateneo’s defeat with an Operator kill on Lopez’s Viper, 4-13.
The Blue and White seek to rebound from the loss and book their place in the Final Four as they take on National University later this afternoon at 5:00 PM in the same venue.
Map Scores: (Split, Icebox)
Ateneo-DLSU (0-2): 2-13, 4-13
Agent lineup:
Tristan Monsod (Team Captain) – Viper, Gekko
Joaquin Antonio – Tejo, Killjoy
Stuart De Guia – Yoru, Jett
JM Amador – Breach, Sova
Alonso Lopez – Omen, Viper
Group A Standings (Points Overall):
- DLSU Green Archers: 2-0 (6)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles: 1-1 (3)
- UE Red Warriors: 1-1 (3)
- NU Bulldogs: 0-2 (0)
