UST faces UP for the UAAP Men’s Football Championship

This appears in the Monday February 21, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

UST faces UP for the UAAP Men’s Football Championship

by rick olivares
pics by brosi gonzales

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers booked a return trip to the UAAP Men’s Football Finals with a 5-nil thrashing of luckless Ateneo de Manila yesterday at the Blue Eagles’ home field of Loyola Heights.

UST rookie Fidel Kue struck in the 25^th minute off an assist by striker Ojay Clariño to break the tense Tigers’ bench that needed to win over Ateneo to play in the finals for the second straight year.

Last season, the Tigers, heavy favorites to win their first seniors football crown since 2007, fell to FEU in a two-game finals sweep. This Season 73, the finals match-up was decided on the final playing day as the Tigers needed a win to prevent La Salle from placing in the finals.

UP, despite playing its second eleven for most of their match with La Salle, outplayed the Green Archers took the pitch without their customary intensity after earlier watching UST make the finals. Come the second half, UP head coach Anto Gonzales began to insert his starters and rookie Jinggoy Valmayor scored his league-leading seventh and eighth goals of the tournament when his 84^th and 90^th minute strikes beat DLSU keeper Patrick Deyto.

The Fighting Maroons’ 2-0 win saw them finish the double round robin eliminations with a nine wins and one draw that recorded them 28 points. They enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage over UST who they beat twice in the tournament 1-nil and 2-nil.

UST ended with a 6-win, 2-draw, and 2-loss record that was good for 20 points and second place in the eliminations. La Salle, finished second runner-up for the third consecutive year with 16 points from four wins, four draws, and two losses.

Against the Growling Tigers, the Blue Eagles, who placed last for the first time in more than two decades of top-notch football, hung tough. That is until a well-placed corner kick Clariño found its way to an unmarked Ronald Batisla-Ong who volleyed home from 10 yards out his first goal in UAAP college competition.

From thereon, the Tigers teed off on the Ateneo keepers Joel Faustino and Fritz Mendoza. UST scored three more goals in the second half with Clariño tallying his sixth strike of the year in the 55^th minute to tie UP’s Valmayor for the scoring lead, and team captain and Azkals reserve David Basa converting a penalty shot in the 76^th minute and John Caballero closing out the scoring with a goal in 83^rd minute.

In Juniors Football, the FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws denied Ateneo High School a three-peat with a 1-0 win over the Blue Booters for a season sweep. Midfielder Paolo Bugas maneuvered inside the Ateneo box against three defenders for a strike that flew past keeper Micah Alampay. The Baby Tamaraws lost to Ateneo in last year’s finals via penalty shootout.

De La Salle Zobel’s Stefan Wintermahr, who scored 12 goals in the tournament, was adjudged Best Striker in the Juniors Division. Bugas was named Best Midfielder while teammates Niño Fuentes and Michael Menzi were awarded Best Defender and Best Goalkeeper respectively. Ateneo High School’s Jose Roberto Andres was named Rookie of the Year and FEU’s Alexander Domekyas tournament MVP.