As the season approaches the Final Four, the DLSU Men’s Football Team found itself on the losing side again as it succumbed to its archrivals, the ADMU Blue Eagles, 2-0, earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Julian Roxas gave the Ateneans their first goal of the game with an unstoppable finish from beyond the box. Samuel Lim found the back of the net at the 90+4’ mark to seal victory over La Salle.
First half opportunities
DLSU came in strong with a couple of on-target shots despite ADMU having ball possession at the beginning. The nearest goal chance for the Blue Eagles was courtesy of a cross by Jordan Jarvis to Rupert Baña at the 20th minute. Unfortunately for the Ateneans, Baña fumbled the header. Just three minutes later, a breakaway from Carlo Liay was thwarted by a tackle from Noel Brago.
La Salle started gaining momentum as it continuously challenged the Blue Eagles’ defense. Numerous free kicks were awarded to the Lasallians but were not completed. It was not until the 37′ mark that the first goal of the match was made. Roxas of ADMU fended off two defenders as he then found the top corner from beyond the box to give the team from Katipunan a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room.
Vigorous second half
La Salle kicked off the second half and sought to overcome its deficit and keep its Final Four chance. “As you can see, we dominated. It’s not completely domination, but we dominated,” head coach Hans Smit explained after the game.
The Lasallians started out the half in energetic fashion with Jose Montelibano leading the way early on. The veteran winger attempted two quick shots outside the box at the 48th minute but failed to yield a goal. His first shot was blocked, and he was not able to capitalize on the rebound as his attempt went into the hands of ADMU goalkeeper Alexandre Arcilla.
It was Brago’s turn to try and score a goal the next minute. His free kick was aimed directly inside the box, but it was caught by Arcilla mid-air. Paeng Siggaoat then made a wonderful run in the 53rd minute as he showcased his stunning dribbling skills and got past three defenders. He immediately took a shot after finding himself open, but the ball went directly into the hands of Arcilla. Marcus Garcia continued his fine form from the first half, but his shot attempt was blocked by the ADMU defenders.
Montelibano’s day ended at the 63rd minute after clashing with an Atenean on the attacking end of DLSU, thus forcing him to be replaced by Rigo Joseph. This substitution proved to be the start of many changes of the Green-and-White as Smit brought in Mauro Acot and Cristian Zubiri for Siggaoat and Nace Gonzales, respectively.
The Diamante brothers, Gelo and Jed, controlled the midfield as La Salle hugged most of the possession away from the Ateneans. G. Diamante, the older of the two brothers, was the first one to try and get the equalizer. The veteran ran through the goalkeeper box, but failed to meet a cross which was caught by Arcilla. Later on, G. Diamante was setup by J. Diamante, but his header went into the hands of Arcilla once again.
The last goal of the game came right before the final whistle as La Salle conceded a corner kick. A cross from the right corner was beautifully delivered and an Atenean was the first one to connect. The initial shot hit the left post, but Samuel Lim quickly reacted and got the rebound for an easy tap in.
“It happens. Ateneo’s not a small team. They’re doing well, they always play well. Even if they don’t have the players, they’re always there. That’s the way you’re supposed to play, you don’t give up till the end. One whole week, we trained just for Ateneo, we didn’t get it,” Smit said.
Smit also shared that he will not focus on experimenting in the last game and wants to send off his seniors on a positive note. “Hopefully, we can get a win in the last game, then back to the drawing board as they say.”
La Salle will play its final match of the season in the men’s football tournament against the UST Growling Tigers on April 20, Thursday, at 2pm in the Moro Lorenzo Football Field in Ateneo.
