The DLSU Green Booters continued their streak of draws after a suspenseful matchup against the ADMU Blue Eagles, ending the game at 1-all, to close the first round of their UAAP Season 86 Men’s Football Tournament campaign.
La Salle’s star forward Isaac Anoh, who entered at the 63rd mark, played his role as an impact substitute and delivered DLSU’s equalizer against Ateneo’s goal by Kofi Agyei at the ninth mark.
Braving the blue berserkers
The opening minutes of the highly-anticipated matchup between the Green Booters and Blue Eagles was overflowing with tension. The Green-and-White meticulously threaded the needle as the aggressive Ateneans were always in possession of the ball, even on the Lasallian side of the field. After nine minutes of breakneck efforts, Agyei of Ateneo converted a cross into a goal, putting the Taft-based squad behind at 1-nil.
Pressured by the horde of spectators and the hostile Ateneans, the Lasallians delivered a series of frustrating trials. In the 14th minute, DLSU midfielder Gabe Suarez hurriedly brought the ball close to the net but clashed with Atenean midfielder Leo Maquiling, granting the Atenean a yellow card. Christian Peñalosa tried to make impact plays on the left wing, but the Katipunan-eleven teamed against the driven senior midfielder of DLSU. With tensions even more heightened, the Blue Eagles defended their only goal with bouts of savagery, earning two more yellow cards for Jose Lopez and Agyei sequentially.
At the same time, the Green Booters did not stand a chance against Atenean goalkeeper Artuz Cezar who snatched not only the anticipated goals by Peñalosa, but also the hopes of Lasallians during 37’ and 44’. Even on the three minutes of added time, DLSU could not close in with their rivals, settling instead with an upsetting score of 1-0 upon halftime break.
Unwavering passion
After a lackluster first half, the Green Booters showed more aggression right off the bat. They tried their luck with their long passes as they often found Robby Cruel getting in forward positions as a right back. The threat from the long balls brought the Green-and-White much-needed confidence as their build-up play became more fluid coming off the break. Their different approach during the second half of the match mostly came from the right side and bore fruit as Suarez’s header from a Carlos Lozano cross was saved by Cezar.
DLSU coach Alvin Ocampo then opted for fresher and more reliable players as he brought in Anoh. However, he would have to wait for his chances to come as the Blue Eagles found their chances for a possible comeback. However, Frank Labayen and Enrico Mangaoang stabilized the defense of La Salle to a goal as they negated all of the Blue Eagles’ attempts for a possible shot in.
With the Blue Eagles looking more aggressive, the Green Booters once again opted for their long passes as Cruel once again got up the pitch and passed the ball to Anoh before being clamped up by the Atenean defense. However, Anoh kept his head high to equalize for DLSU as he received the ball from Paolo Go and powered the ball to the top corner, now equalizing the match. Anoh would have managed to convert another shot late into the game to grab the lead, but he found the blue shirts all over him before the final whistle blew for the draw, 1-all.
The Green Booters officially concluded the first round of their UAAP Season 86 feat at the fourth spot in the standings with a 2-1-3 record and a total of nine points. The Green-and-White now await their schedule for Round Two as they push their way toward a slot in the Final Four.
