The DLSU Green Booters were unable to tame the FEU Tamaraws, 2-0, despite putting up a gritty defensive performance in their UAAP Season 87 Men’s Football Tournament meeting yesterday, October 10, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
The Tamaraws found themselves ahead after Theo Libanares’ goal at the 17’ mark. Edgar Aban Jr. doubled the lead at the 66’ mark to put the game out of reach for the Green Booters.
Stunned by the Tamaraws
The DLSU Green Booters spent the majority of the first half defending their goalpost with the FEU Tamaraws’ aggressive display. Six minutes in, the Tamaraws’ fluid passing created chances for the Green-and-Gold, but they could not convert, as the Lasallian defense stayed compact. After clearing FEU’s plays, the Green Booters relied on their counterattacks, but the white shirts found trouble stringing passes together to threaten the opposition’s defense.
In the 17th minute, the Tamaraws grabbed the lead after Libarnes slotted the ball in following a scramble inside the DLSU box, 1-0. Luis Henares tried to rally his side back in the 21st minute with a promising run to attack the FEU backline but was called offside. La Salle found trouble replicating any scoring chances while the Tamaraws remained relentless in their press and attacking play. While the rest of the Green Booters were under pressure–defending dangerous corner kicks from the Green-and-Gold–La Salle goalkeeper Enrico Mangaoang remained composed in commanding his box to keep the deficit to just one.
After gritty efforts to get to the final third, DLSU hoped to rally behind Gabe Suarez’s free kick in the 31st minute. However, Luis Andan’s header was off-target. Vin Dela Cruz also had a chance for an equalizer, receiving the ball outside the box, but his shot went too high. With the threat now looming over, the Tamaraws doubled down on their aggression, which alarmed the La Salle defense. DLSU was able to deal with FEU’s attempts, but was unable to complete passes to counter. The Tamaraws found one last chance in the first half at the 45+1’ mark, but the Green Booters remained relentless in defending their goalpost, 1-0.
Going down swinging
The Taft-based team started the second half with fresh legs as Paolo Go and Rafael Castrillo were subbed in for Lucas Andan and Marco Ditching. The match’s physicality ramped up as pushes and shoves came out from both sides. Both sides were kept on their toes, with set pieces, counterattacks, and tactical changes brought by the physicality forced the coaches to adapt to the game’s unpredictability. The Tamaraws had a chance at the 53rd minute to double their lead, but Mangaoang tipped the shot over the bar. Unfortunately, a collision during the chaos left Castrillo with a deep cut on his head and was stretchered off.
The Green-and-White continued to play the low block and attempted to exploit the counter as half chances appeared from Adrian Bacolod’s runs and long shots. As the game progressed, Coach Alvin Ocampo recharged his defense, subbing in Carlos Andan and Dominic Dreyfus for fresher legs. Despite FEU’s constant pressure, the Green Booters shifted around to adapt to the game, with Henares dropping lower into the midfield and Frank Labayen joining the defensive line.
La Salle’s physicality ensued as they survived persistent attacks from the Tamaraws until the field opened up at the 62nd minute and La Salle shifted into a higher press to find their equalizer. However, the Tamaraws passed their way into a counterattack, an FEU cut-back cross slipped through the La Salle defense as an unmarked Aban Jr. capitalized on the chance for the Tamaraw’s second goal in the game, 2-0.
The Green Booters continued to show glimpses of chances to threaten the Tamaraws. From defending outnumbered counters of Labayen to impressive dribbling by the wingbacks and last-minute saves by Mangaoang, the team wasn’t giving up. But, it seemed too little, too late to find a win.
Enrique Vecin, Ibrahim Tarin, and Nathan Marasigan entered the game late, hoping to boost the team’s chances of getting a draw. The Lasallians continued to exploit the counter, but the tactical gamble of the low block did not pay off. The referee blew the final whistle to mark the end of the game and La Salle’s second defeat of the season, 2-0.
Following this loss, the Green Booters fell to a 1-1-2 record in their campaign. They will be looking for a better outing and a rise in the standings as they take on the AdU Soaring Falcons next Thursday, October 17, at 4 pm at the same venue.
