WITH BOTH teams facing consistent championship contenders FEU in their opening UAAP games on January 17, the Ateneo Booters sent a strong message to their opponents: this season, they are not pushovers; they can contend.
Blue Booters: ADMU 2, FEU 1
“Every season you should win the first game, because [it gives you] momentum,” longtime coach of the Blue Booters, Coach Ompong, says. And with one goal from open-play and another goal from a set-piece, the Ateneo Blue Booters did just that.
Housing several national players and a striker (Jason Cordona) who spent a year playing in Australia’s second division, the first-seeded FEU Tamaraws faced the fifth seeded, home-grown, Ateneo Blue Booters.
On paper, bookies wouldn’t think twice to bet on a FEU victory, but with 90 minutes of football to play, anything was possible.
Opting for a 4-3-3 formation, the Blue Booters began the first half a little startled. The Tamaraws in their golden jerseys, fast and aggressive, swarmed the Blue Booters at every possession, preventing them from having any sort of attacking rhythm.
Losing on goal attempts and ball possession, the Blue Booters played second fiddle to FEU’s attacking force. The tall Tamaraw forwards clobbered all over the Booters’ smaller backline, allowing two close goal attempts by six-foot Cordona—with one even hitting the cross-bar.
But it only takes one long ball, one good pass, or one phenomenal shot to break the dead-lock.
Just a few minutes after their first goal attempt, a sweeping cross into the box from defender Luigi Meer landed into the feet of Blue Booters’ captain Juan Siojo. With FEU defenders still regrouping from their previous attacking possession, Siojo fired a strong shot from inside the box to open his scoring account, making it a 1-0 Ateneo lead.
But with less than ten minutes left in the first half, a momentary lapse in defense left the Ateneo backline exposed, gifting the FEU Tamaraws a lifeline as Cordero was brought down in the penalty box. Tamaraw forward Sobremisimo converted the spot-kick, tying the game 1-1.
With more confidence and fighting spirit, the Blue Booters’ started the second half with an attacking edge. Veteran Booter Gerrard Cancio sparked the attack with constant runs along the left flank to slowly break down the Tamaraw’s organized backline.
Finally, with 15 minutes left in the game, Miguel Monfort delivered a high flying free-kick into the box for Cancio to head the winning goal into the top-right corner.
In coach Ompong’s words, “It was a priceless victory.”
Lady Booters: ADMU 2, FEU 2
With nine rookies on board and an overhaul at the goalkeeper position, the Lady Booters raised plenty of questions during the preseason as to what to expect from them this year.
But when they opened the season against one of the tougher teams in the league in the FEU Lady Tamaraws, they showed the rest of the league that they’re playing to win it all.
As expected, FEU put the pressure on the Ateneo defense early in the game, but rookie goalkeeper JJ Matalam from Davao held her ground. Ateneo had some notable runs late in the first half with efforts from rookie Ines Lorenzo and sophomore Erika Casas, but both sides failed to convert their chances as the first half ended 0-0.
Having missed the last two seasons due to ACL injuries on both knees, it was Alice dela Peña who put the Lady Booters on the scoreboard early in the second half with a crisp strike from the box, as FEU’s defense failed to clear the ball.
This only being the first UAAP game, Ateneo’s lack of match-fitness began to show midway through the period as they conceded two goals in the span of 10 minutes allowing FEU to come back from a 1-0 deficit, and take stunning 2-1 lead.
But just when things were beginning to look bleak, Monica Santos, back from her JTA hiatus, delivered a cross into the box to Yvette Gaston who knocked in a header, tying the game at 2-2 in the 85th minute.
With a victory over the top seeded team, and a built-up momentum for the rest of the season, the Blue and Lady Booters might very well be the black horses in this UAAP football competition.
