In a taxing match that saw a total of seven minutes of injury time in the second half of play, the DLSU Green Booters won a war of attrition against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 2-1, earlier tonight, April 27, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch. Isaac Anoh and Vin Dela Cruz both scored in the dying moments of the first and second half, respectively, with the latter being the eventual game-winning net and Christian Peñalosa racking up assists on both goals.
Back and forth
The Green Booters came out of the gates fast, capitalizing on an early opportunity for a goal within the first two minutes of the match, an attempt that Peñalosa eventually missed. Not letting up, the squad in green continued their blitz, as they once again had a great chance at the goal five minutes later, this time with Dylan Atienza shooting the ball right into the goalkeeper’s hands. A sloppy possession by La Salle led to a chance for the Soaring Falcons, but Miko Arañas’ shot was way off target. The next minutes followed the same pattern, with Adamson comfortably dictating the pace of the game and keeping the ball on their side for multiple attack opportunities.
The frenetic pace set by both teams started taking effect on the players by the 24th minute, as both teams struggled to get a shot on target in most of their attempts. Off the counter-attack, the team from Taft worked out a good run going on the left flank, but it was halted as Mikio Umilin was fouled on his way. DLSU would get another opportunity on the very next possession, but a long shot by Jovan Marfiga was blocked by the Adamson defense. Off the break, AdU got two straight shots on target, but goalkeeper Mig Brosoto was able to deflect both attempts to keep the match even at nil-nil. Peñalosa showcased his footwork in a run that saw him go as far as the opposing goal box, but he was unable to finish his run with a score.
The Taft-based squad closed out the first half strong, keeping the ball on their side for the majority of the half’s last few minutes. In extra time, a great opportunity arose for the Green Booters after an interception in the midfield switched possessions. With the Adamson defense scrambling, Peñalosa launched a bullet of a pass straight to a streaking Anoh, who calmly put the ball through the net to take a 1-0 lead for La Salle. Undeterred, the Soaring Falcons remained focused and capitalized on a lackluster Green Booter defense, as they got off a shot that narrowly missed with a hit at the crossbar. With seconds left before the halftime break, the ball found its way to Darlton Digha off the crossbar, who then evened the game with his own goal to end the first half at 1-all.
Nail-biting finish
Both teams came into the second half playing tremendous defense, with neither being able to mount any significant offense. Brosoto continued to do a stellar job, stifling any Adamson attempts that came his way, giving La Salle a slight advantage in their defense. At the 58’ mark, a fast throw-in by the Soaring Falcons caught the DLSU defense off-guard, leading to a great chance that was thwarted by La Salle’s Roberto Cruel. An ambitious long shot by AdU’s Keivenn Banagodos was wide, leading to a La Salle run that saw Anoh almost score his second goal—if not for Adamson’s center back stripping him of the ball at the last minute. A noticeable dip in action followed in the next few minutes as both teams looked to catch their breath.
Neither team were able to snatch the momentum in the closing moments. While both had slightly slowed down from their high octane offense in the first half, they still kept coming at the defense relentlessly. At 79’, Adamson took two ill-advised long shots that failed to come close to the goal. With the time running low, Umilin went on an amazing run that saw him narrowly miss a shot on target as Adamson goalkeeper Zecheus Suarez deflected Umilin’s tough attempt. A golden opportunity arose for Adamson as they earned a free kick right on top of the box, but Karl Mahinnay’s shot was way off.
With regulation coming to a close, seven minutes were decided as extra time by the official. In extra time, Umilin almost scores after Suarez fumbles the save, but his other leg hit the ball out of bounds. DLSU would get another chance a minute later, but Anoh’s shot went way left. With both teams depleted, it was La Salle who showed that they have that extra gear they can go to. Peñalosa gets another assist as he found Dela Cruz on his way to a clutch goal that eventually sealed the match for the Green Booters.
After this win, the DLSU Green Booters will look to retake the top spot on the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Football tournament standings when they face the first-seeded ADMU Blue Eagles, who they are level with on points, on May 4 at the same place venue m
