THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team continued their unbeaten run in a 1-0 win versus the National University (NU) Bulldogs on Saturday, March 18 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
The win puts the Blue Eagles at a 7-2-0 record with a +16 goal difference in Season 79 of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Football tournament.
The Bulldogs played conservatively and relied on the counter in the first half, while the Blue Eagles were more in control and had a bigger share of possession. The first chance of the match came in the third minute, after Jarvey Gayoso connected with Jayrah Rocha from a corner in a position similar to where the defender scored in the previous game. This time though, the ball veered wide. Four minutes later, NU had a set-piece opportunity of their own from an Elmer Sampaga free kick, but the ball curled safely to the hands of keeper AJ Arcilla.
Ateneo drew first blood in the 10th minute from Gayoso, the season’s leading goal-scorer. The sophomore striker fired a free kick a few yards behind the box that was no match for Bulldogs keeper Chris Perocho. The lead was almost doubled a few minutes later, but his close-range attempt off the corner went wide.
In the 29th minute, the Bulldogs appeared to score after Lawrence Colina’s shot hit the back of the net, but a handball was called before the shot that nullified the goal. The Katipunan-based squad continued their attacking play as the first interval progressed, but were unable to add to their lead as the halftime whistle sounded with the team clinging to their 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs were more dangerous in the second half, but they were unable to convert in their chances and set-pieces. The backline of the Blue Eagles, along with keeper Arcilla, played a large role in this.
The second half began with back-to-back free kick opportunities from Gayoso, but both attempts were way off. Five minutes later, Colina had an ambitious long-range shot, but it sailed over the bar. At the 72nd minute, the Bulldogs nearly equalized after Jerico Dagsa spotted Arcilla off his line and fired a free kick towards that area, but it landed on top of the goal. The last chance of the game came in the 87th after Gayoso played a nice through ball inside the box to Rupert Baña, but his strike went off right. Ateneo dictated the flow of the game in the remaining minutes and held on to their lead as the final whistle sounded.
After the game, Coach Jay Pee Merida was happy with the three points, but lamented on the missed opportunities. “Medyo frustrating lang sa mga chances namin, especially yung mga crosses,” he explained. “Ang ganda ng mga chances at execution sa first half, pero of course andun pa rin ang NU at napaka-organized ang game plan nila. Yung low-blocking napaka-organized.” (The chances and execution were very nice in the first half, but of course NU was there with a very organized game plan. Their low-blocking was very organized.)
Ateneo’s next match will be against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Saturday, March 25 7PM at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
Starting XIs:
Ateneo: Arcilla (GK), Ceniza, Dy, Gayoso, Grierson, Haosen, Herrera, Jarvis, Liay (c), Mathay, Rocha
NU: Starting XI for NU: Arbela, Colina, Dagsa, Fabro, Lawagan, Perocho (GK), Sampaga, Socrates, Sullano, Valenzuela (c), Viray
Substitutions:
Ateneo: 61′ Baña on for Haosen, 74′ Castilo on for Mathay, 79′ Gaudiel on for Ceniza
NU: 60′ Agana on for Sullano, 80′ Caringal on for Arbela, 80′ Pademal on for Viray
Gayoso’s 11th minute free kick goal lifted the Blue Eagles over NU.
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/uaap-season-79-men-s-football-ateneo-vs-nu-round-2
