UP, UST continue surge to the UAAP Football Finals

Ayi Nii Aryee celebrates after scoring his first goal of the season.

This appears in the Monday February 14, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

UP, UST continue surge to the UAAP Football Finals

by rick olivares with pics by brosi gonzales

Who says that there’s no science to a free kick?

With seven minutes left between the match between the University of the Philippines and the University of the East, Fighting Maroon Keith Mordeno was tackled from behind by Warriors defender Nik Darrow Molo. Referee Rodney Leyble whistled for a foul and UP had one last set piece to score.

UP’s Ghanaian player Ayi Aryee Nii, who had been struggling all season long with his move to the midfield, lined up for a shot.

The Red Warriors were worried about the African’s height and just as Aryee swooped in for his shot, the wall shifted to the left and broke in the middle for a small gap. Aryee saw this and had time to adjust his shot that incredibly knifed through the gap. Robert Martos, UE’s excellent goalkeeper, had been expecting the shot to curve around the wall. Instead it would the gap and curved away from him. He had no chance and UP had its seventh win in eight matches (for a league-leading 22 points). “By the time I saw the ball, it was too late,” recounted Martos, a former national keeper, who has given up six goals in this tournament owing to a porous back four.

“I was happy that Ayi was able to vindicate himself,” said UP head coach Anto Gonzales who benched leading goal scorer Gerardo Valmayor and Aryii. The Ghanaian came in the second half and he played his best football yet as he set up teammates and made stirring runs through UE’s defense.

Last year, Ayi also scored a sensational goal against Ateneo when he beat two defenders and chipped the ball over the keeper.

“The goal doesn’t end there,” said Gonzales. “We are aiming for the twice to beat advantage.” Should UP win every match from hereon, they have the opportunity to tie Ateneo’s record 51 points in 2006 when they beat La Salle for their third straight title. The Blue Booters won 10 matches and drew only one. They also surrendered only one goal all season long while tallying 10 clean sheets.

In the second match, UST came back from two goals down in the first half to stun FEU with an injury time goal for a 3-2 win to stay firmly in second place in the standings.

The Tamaraws scored on a stunning and early (3^rd minute) goal from UST’s final third when striker Jess Melliza’s volley went right through Tigers’ keeper Ramon Borigas’ hands. With the slow starting UST squad scrambling to get their game going, Melliza once more pounced on a mistake by national player David Basa. The Tigers’ captain was battling Melliza for ball possession at the edge of the UST box when the Tamaraws’ rookie was able to make a turn. That left him one on one with Borigas who flailed at the air as Melliza and found the back of the net in the 37^th minute.

But instead of folding, UST rallied in the second half. “I cold see it in my eyes that my players were in the game and they wanted to win,” said UST coach Marjo Allado.

The Tigers stepped up the pressure as FEU quite simply couldn’t keep up. 

Ojay Clariño scored on a brilliant set piece in the 56^th minute that gave life to UST. Then in the 63^rd minute, the Tigers other striker Christian de Juan was able to send a powerful shot from the right side that FEU keeper Ronnie Aguisanda was able to parry away. But Tigers’ midfielder Ronnel Lagrimas corralled the loose ball and with Aguisanda still on the ground, he fired away for the equalizer.

With two minutes gone by in injury time, Clariño received the ball on the left wing and where FEU defender Junel Jalandoni met him. Incredibly, Jalandoni did not bother to tap the ball out that would have signaled an end to the match.

With the possession still alive, Clariño raced onwards and booted out over Aguisanda for the winning goal.

Last week, Clariño scored a late game winner against La Salle that vaulted the Tigers to second place.

Clariño's two strikes as well as Melliza’s twin goals drew them level with erstwhile leader Jinggoy Valmayor of UP for five goals apiece.

In the main match of the day, cellar dwelling Ateneo dealt arch-rival La Salle a serious blow to its title aspirations with a scoreless draw. Although La Salle received one point for its draw, UST is ahead by four points 17-13.

Interviewing UST head coach Marjo Allado after their scintillating win against FEU.