Despite their dauntless bouts, both the Ateneo Men’s and Women’s Taekwondo teams could not escape Day 2 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Judo tournament unblemished.
The bouts were held Wednesday, November 15 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
With team-ties decided by a best-of-seven match format, seven players from different weight divisions squared off against their counterparts for a point-race in a pair of two-minute rounds.
The Lady Eagles split their two matches, tallying a win over the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons in their season opener and eventually falling to archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) in their last match of the day.
With only one match on their schedule, the Blue Eagles were overcame by the skillful Fighting Maroons.
Lady Eagles
Opening the day for Ateneo was finweight Irene Bermejo. She drew her first round at a level 9-9, but only picked up the intensity in the second.
Bermejo withstood a flurry of strikes from UP’s Amber Acosta towards the conclusion of the second round, sealing her the nail-biting win, 21-20.
Lady Eagle Flyweight Noleen Laganda then went head to head with KC Lozada from UP. The aggressive Laganda could not take control of the match in the second after just a two-point deficit in the first round, and eventually lost, 10-5, tying the two teams at 1-1.
Camila Sta. Ana represented the Blue Eagles in the bantamweight division. Once more, Ateneo could not swing the momentum their way in the second round, losing, 10-4.
Highly-touted Pauline Lopez, however, was dominant in the featherweight division. She controlled her first match with head kicks, winning 15-5 to level the team-tie score at 2-2.
Arianne Agojo held her own in the lightweight division, but faltered and lost the lead in the first round. Her 21-8 loss gave UP the lead in the team-tie at 3-2 and granted them the chance to win the contest heading into the final two matches.
With the crowd roaring, Danielle Morales eventually took charge in the welterweight matchup, winning her match 21-17, setting up a do-or-die in the seventh.
Gem Sandoval was tasked to bring home the win for the Eagles, and she delivered in the deciding battle. It was a captain’s performance for Sandoval, who directed the second round, winning 12-6 and handing the Lady Eagles their first win of the tournament.
Their last competition of the second day was be against DLSU in a matinee event. Bermejo was spotless in the first round, winning 8-0 after maintaining control in the second at 21-6 to draw first blood for Ateneo
Laganda, in her second match of the day, showed heart in both rounds, but could not overcome the strikes of La Salle. She lost a dramatic 10-9 match, as DLSU tied Ateneo 1-1.
Ateneo’s Sta. Ana was resilient through the entire bout. Two rounds against Angelica Gaw wound up at a 16-16 deadlock, forcing a golden-point round.
After great defense from both sides, Gaw would land her strike first, taking the overall lead 2-1 for La Salle. With kicks flying unendingly, Lopez asserted herself once more, as she garnered the Ateneo point with a masterful 24-2 performance over DLSU’s Arjyem Datuin.
Attempting to break the deadlock, Agojo was pitted against Camille Bonje. Bonje’s aggressiveness and accuracy proved too much for Agojo, giving La Salle the fifth match and a 3-2 lead heading into the final two matches.
With the same challenge of keeping Ateneo’s hopes alive, Morales found herself down only a point to begin the second round, but she could not gain the advantage as La Salle would win a close match 13-12, ending their day with a victory.
With one match still to go, Sandoval would strive to end their day on a high note. A last minute effort was not enough late in the second round, as she yielded 11-5 to seal the team-tie win for DLSU at 5-2.
Blue Eagles
The Blue Eagles’ only match of the day was a meeting with the UP Fighting Maroons, who were fresh off their win against current defending champions UST earlier that morning.
Finweight Mark Macadangdang was pitted against UP’s Raymundo Alombro to get things rolling. Alombro’s ceaseless attacks were too much to handle for the Blue Eagle, which allowed UP secure the 1-0 start with a 23-2 match win.
Elijah Buencamino of the flyweight division shared similar struggles in his match, as UP’s Josiah Cabanag could not be stopped in the second round, winning the match 25-5.
Down two matches to none, the Blue Eagles turned to bantamweight Paul Cham for a spark. He immediately came out with guns blazing, dominating his opponent 13-1, 22-2 to halt UP’s momentum was halted, as Ateneo tallied its first score 2-1.
In the featherweight division, UP’s Joshua Lazaro unleashed head kick after head kick, commanding the match against Ferds Subido, earning a 26-6 win and a favorable 3-1 advantage for UP.
Down by 13 points leading up to the second round of the lightweight division match, Leonell Andrew Garcia rallied late but could not convert hits down the stretch. The Maroons would take the match 33-19, guaranteeing them a win.
Highlighted by a spinning back kick to the head that amazed the UP crowd, Joko Silverio’s energy proved to be too much to manage for Ateneo’s Rafael Cosca in the welterweight division. UP solidified their win tallying another point to further a 5-1 team-tie score heading into the final match.
Ateneo Captain Jeff Alejandro dug himself an early hole, but looked to bounce back right after. However, the Fighting Maroons would not give up their lead, ending the match 19-13 and the team-tie at 6-1.
The Lady Eagles will look to get back to their winning ways, while the Blue Eagles are set to bounce back after their loss in day two of UAAP Taekwondo scheduled today, November 16 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Team-Tie Scores
Lady Eagles
Ateneo 4 UP 3
Irene Bermejo vs. Amber Acosta: 21-20
Noleen Laganda vs. KC Lozada: 5-10
Camila Sta. Ana vs. Stephanie Osio: 4-10
Pauline Lopez vs. Beatrice Gaerian: 15-5
Arianne Agojo vs. Genicah De Laza: 8-21
Danielle Morales vs. Melyka Mungcal: 21-17
Gem Sandoval vs. Katrina Gargoles: 12-6
Ateneo 2 DLSU 5
Irene Bermejo vs. Marie Banez: 10-6
Noleen Laganda vs. Lovely Jean Avancena: 9-10
Camila Sta. Ana vs. Angelica Gaw: 14-15 (golden point)
Pauline Lopez vs. Arjyem Datuin: 24-2
Arianne Agojo vs. Camille Bonje: 7-17
Danielle Morales vs. Shannelle Romuar: 12-13
Gem Sandoval vs. Gabrielle Yuchingtat: 5-11
Blue Eagles
Ateneo 1 UP 6
Mark Macadangdang vs. Raymundo Alombro: 2-23
Elijah Buencamino vs. Josiah Cabanag: 5-25
Paul Cham vs. Alfred Someroes: 22-2
Ferds Subido vs. Joshua Lazaro: 6-26
Leonell Andrew Garcia vs. Karlos Gaerlan: 19-33
Rafael Cosca vs. Joko Silverio: 11-24
Jeff Alejandro vs. Christian Mapalo: 13-19
