THE ATENEO Men’s Football Team faltered in the final minutes of their preseason matchup against Tuloy FC, 1-2, earlier today, August 10, at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
This loss drops the Blue and White to second in Group B of the Tuloy Invitational Cup, still at three points.
Despite an early sixth-minute chance from skipper Dov Cariño, the Blue Eagles found themselves under pressure from Tuloy’s high press. With clear aggression on both ends of the pitch, the Alabang-based side managed to come up with multiple scoring opportunities throughout the opening minutes.
As the Blue and White struggled to contain their adversaries in the defensive third, Tuloy finally capitalized in the 19th minute with a lob from center forward John Jalique as Ateneo fell to an early 0-1 disadvantage.
Gaining momentum from their opener, Tuloy continued to pounce on the Blue and White, testing goalie Alfonso Loja. Moreover, the Muntinlupa-based squad kept Ateneo at bay with goalkeeper Michael Antilo quickly parrying close attempts.
The Blue Eagles then coupled together a string of efforts in the attacking third off interceptions in the midfield. However, these shots on target from both Cariño and Kofi Agyei in the 36th minute were contained by both Tuloy’s backline and keeper Antilo.
With the dogfight continuing throughout the backend of the opening 45 minutes, Tuloy managed to hold on to their lead heading into the break.
To open the second half, both teams came out firing, in a highly contested back and forth of possession. This exchange led to a 48th minute goal attempt that missed the mark, as target man Agyei failed to convert a wide open header.
As the match continued, the Blue Eagles struggled to contain Tuloy’s suffocating offense, often getting caught in transition to concede key scoring chances. Coming up big for the Blue and White, however, was half-time substitute Juan Paolo Tansingco, as the rookie keeper saved two key shots in the 53rd and 57th minutes to maintain the scoreline.
Looking for the equalizer, Jethro Flores found Cariño in the 60th minute through a nifty pass into the box. Although the pass never made contact, the goal found the back of the net after rebounding off of Antilo, resulting in an own goal, 1-1.
With the game now tied, Tuloy quickly responded, generating a pair of convincing attacks in the 68th minute. Refusing to remain silent, however, the Blue Eagles fired back on both sides of the ball through a 74th-minute Agyei header attempt and a crucial 81st-minute save from Tansingco, maintaining the hard-fought scoreline.
Although both teams traded blows throughout the matchup, Tuloy turned the game in the 85th minute as the Blue Eagles failed to clear the ball after a cross into the box, allowing Tuloy to take the lead with a clutch goal from Cyrelle Saut, 1-2.
Despite their best efforts in the final moments of the matchup, the Blue Eagles failed to create scoring opportunities, dropping their first match in the tournament.
Determined to get back into the win column, the Blue Eagles will face archrivals De La Salle Green Archers next Sunday, August 17, at 10:00 AM in the same venue.
Group B Standings (Points, Goal Difference):
- Tuloy FC (4, +1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3, +3)
- DLSU Green Booters (1, 0)
- UE Red Warriors (0, -4)
