THE ATENEO Blue Eagles regained their winning form in the elimination round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) after a gritty 2-1 victory over the UST Golden Booters. The match was held earlier today, October 2, at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
Today’s victory puts the Blue Eagles at second place in the league table with a 2-0-1 win-loss-draw record and a +3 goal difference.
Goalkeeper Alfonso Loja was named as Man of the Match, keeping UST at bay. Showing out for the contest were forward Kofi Agyei, who secured a brace of his own, and defender Mateo Lacson, whose composure anchored the backline with his timely heading and tackling. Furthermore, the Katipunan-based XI was led by coach Paul Madrona, with Head Coach JP Merida serving his one-game touchline ban.
The match started with both teams feeling each other out, setting the tone on the defensive end. The first chance of the game fell to the Golden Booters, with Kent Dela Peña’s cross into the box, forcing the Blue and White backline to focus on clearing.
Ateneo continued to be pressured by UST, whose shots from distance increased the pressure on the Blue Eagle defense. The 14th minute highlighted the first big chance from either team, as UST’s Kyler Escobar got the ball in the box, but Oswald Santilices was able to block his opponent’s shot to keep the game goalless.
On the ball, the Katipunan-based XI struggled to get going as their counterparts from España frustrated their buildup with their offside trap early on. Meanwhile, the Golden Booters continued to pose an attacking threat, securing a series of corners that forced the Blue Eagles to defend them effectively.
Against the run of play, Ateneo was able to break through the UST defense with its long passes in the 29th. With the Golden Booter defense still disorganized, defender Lacson pinged a precise long ball to Agyei, who shook off his marker and slotted past Mark Daig, giving Blue Eagles the lead, 1-0.
Agyei’s goal against the run of play seemed to heavily shift the momentum towards Ateneo, with UST’s attack slowly being stymied by the Blue and White backline. As a result, the Golden Booters were only able to take shots from range, with a Kent Dela Peña attempt in the 35th minute going wide.
Further sharpening Ateneo’s attacking sword, Karl Molina provided another dangerous cross in the 39th minute, but the resulting shot from Kenji Rance was easily saved by UST’s Daig. With the Blue and White becoming much sharper on both ends of the ball, they were able to enter the halftime break with their lead intact.
The Blue Eagles immediately reentered the fray with attacking intent as Atenean forwards ran rapid schemes into the offensive third. Capitalizing on the early onslaught, Cariño whipped in a precise pass in the 46th minute to locate an unmarked Agyei, who dispatched a tidy finish to double the Blue Eagles’ cushion, 2-0.
Shortly after, Ateneo’s backline showcased their refined defensive tactics, denying the UST forwards multiple scoring opportunities within the box. The most prominent of these defensive sequences came in the 51st minute when keeper Loja managed to push out a well-executed shot over the crossbar, keeping UST at bay.
Determined to build on his spectacular play, Cariño continued to make his offensive mark, carving sublime scoring opportunities midway through the half. However, none of these materialized as UST defenders withstood all of the Blue Eagle’s incoming actions.
Moments later, Mateo Lacson followed suit in the barrage, firing a curling effort from a set-piece in the 76th minute that ultimately went wide left.
On the other end of the pitch, Loja displayed tremendous work rate once more, deflecting a clear shot after a brilliant string of passes from UST attackers. The Golden Booters sought to retaliate from the missed scoring opportunity, but all their gambits proved futile, as Loja safely collected all incoming offensives.
Signifying their last roll of the dice, UST swarmed Ateneo’s box in the closing ten minutes in the hopes of salvaging the deficit. These schemes eventually bore fruit as UST was awarded a penalty kick in the 92nd minute after an inadvertent challenge by Ateneo within the area. Despite initially parrying away UST’s Archie Beluga’s shot, Loja was unable to deny the Golden Booter on the rebound, conceding a goal in stoppage time, 2-1.
Intent on maintaining their momentum, the Blue Eagles will take on De La Salle University on Sunday, October 5, at 4:30 P.M. in the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (2): Loja (GK), Agyei, Arias, Bengson, Cariño (C), de Ocampo, Lacson, Molina, Salud, Rance, Santilices
UST (1): Daig (GK), Alegre, Baito, De La Peña, Elopre, Escobar, Flores, Maniscan, Regis, Selarde, Vercide
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons – 7 (+3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 6 (+3)
- UST Golden Booters – 4 (0)
- DLSU Green Booters – 4 (0)
- FEU Tamaraws – 3 (+1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 1 (-6)
- UE Red Warriors – 0 (-1)
