THE ATENEO Blue Eagles sustained their second loss of the season after absorbing a 2-3 defeat against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in a high-scoring rivalry showdown. The match was held earlier today, October 12, at the UP Diliman Football Stadium in Quezon City.
This loss drops the Blue and White to fourth in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Football Tournament standings.
Team Captain Dov Cariño and striker Kofi Agyei once again proved to be the standout duo for the Blue Eagles, scoring a goal each in the match. On the other hand, Jian Caraig was named Man of the Match for the Fighting Maroons.
The Blue Eagles found themselves at an early disadvantage as the Fighting Maroons dominated possession from the get-go. Struggling to match their counterparts’ lethal form, keeper Alfonso Loja conceded a goal just in the second minute as UP’s Lorenz Tortona scored a decisive goal off a scramble within the box, 0-1.
Intent on negating UP’s bursting forwards, rookies Caleb Santos and Nathan De Ocampo immediately established their defensive ground to deny the Fighting Maroons quality looks within the area. Veteran defender Marco Salud supplemented the duo’s backline efforts, summoning a timely tackle in the 11th minute to keep the Blue Eagles within striking distance.
Determined to settle into the game, the attacking dyad of Cariño and Agyei continued to manufacture rapid runs into the attacking third. Against the run of play, Cariño dispatched a precise ball deep into UP’s territory in the 20th minute. Latching onto his duo’s sublime delivery, Agyei raced past his defenders and tucked home the equalizer with a clinical finish, 1-1.
Sensing momentum, Agyei continued to operate aggressively, with a low drive effort in the 28th minute being quickly put out by UP’s Alfonso Gonzalez. Ateneo’s midfield followed suit in the barrage, but found all their gambits futile as Agyei and Cariño struggled to control the incoming passes.
Moments later, the Blue Eagle backline continued their stellar play, denying UP’s Ramil Bation III a clear cross from the left flank. However, Ateneo soon found themselves on the receiving end of another UP offensive onslaught. Just moments before the halftime whistle, Loja found himself wrong-footed as UP’s Liam Lampayan scored another goal off a frenzy, handing the Blue Eagles a 1-2 deficit at the interval.
The Blue Eagles then got out to an early start in the second half, with Agyei challenging a UP defender one-on-one, taking a great shot at goal in the 50th minute. However, the striker’s attempt was saved by Gonzalez, directly resulting in a corner kick for Ateneo. The resulting set piece failed to materialize into a significant chance.
A similar sequence occurred five minutes later as Cariño found himself in the same position, with Gonzalez once again stepping up for UP. The keeper’s initial save resulted in the ball going to Agyei, just to have his own shot corralled by Gonzalez anew.
With lapses in Ateneo’s defense, the Fighting Maroons quickly capitalized in the 60th minute with an excellent cross to rookie Gur Sidhu, whose goal placed the Blue Eagles in a 1-3 hole.
Undeterred, the Blue and White countered three minutes later with a golden opportunity in the box. Cariño meticulously controlled his own looping ball, finding the back of the net and keeping Ateneo’s hopes alive with a 63rd minute goal, 2-3.
With momentum now on their side, the Blue Eagles came up with multiple scoring opportunities, but none converted in their favor. Chances throughout the 75th to 78th minutes all saw near-misses from inside the box, keeping Ateneo searching for an equalizer.
The final opportunity for the Blue Eagles came in the third minute of added time, with Santos’ free kick ending up in the hands of Cariño. However, with another near-miss, the Blue and White ended up absorbing their second loss of the season, 2-3.
The Blue Eagles are on pace for another dogfight as they take on rivals Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Thursday, October 16, at 6:30 PM in the same venue.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (2): Loja (GK), Salud, Lacson, Cariño (C), Agyei, Soriano, Santos, Bengson, Roxas, Bautista, De Ocampo
UP (3): Gonzalez (GK), Lampayan, Lobitana (C), Galsim, Basmayor, Tortona, Almodal, Sidhu, Caraig, Garces, Bation III
Current Standings – Points (GD):
- UP Fighting Maroons – 13 (+5)
- DLSU Green Booters – 8 (+2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 7 (+2)
- FEU Tamaraws – 7 (+3)
- UST Golden Booters – 5 (0)
- AdU Soaring Falcons – 4 (-6)
- UE Red Warriors – 0 (-6)
