The DLSU Green Booters kept their Final Four hopes alive as they dominated the UE Red Warriors, 2-0, in their UAAP Season 87 Men’s Football second round showdown earlier tonight, November 10, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Rookie Alonso Aguilar led the match by scoring a goal at the 16’ mark to give the Green Booters a head start. Aguilar, then again, scored a goal at the 54’ mark to conclude the match, sealing the Green Booters another win.
Momentum started
After starting the second round with a loss against the UST Growling Tigers, the DLSU Green Booters were driven to redeem themselves and inaugurate a Round Two victory. At the beginning of the match, both teams tried to establish their dominance, but the UE Red Warriors struggled to break down the defense of the Green Booters. Aguilar’s goal at the 16’ mark after a miscommunication from the UE defenders gave DLSU an early lead and started their momentum, 1-0.
Just before the first half ended, the UE Red Warriors had a chance to tie the game after being awarded a penalty, but they were unable to convert it to a point as Lasallian goalkeeper Enrico Mangaoang showed his composure and saved La Salle’s momentum from the attempt of the Red Warriors. Despite the efforts of both teams to convert their plays into a goal, time ran out in the first half as they entered the halftime break in favor of the Green Booters, 1-0.
Finishing touches
The Green Booters looked to continue their push for the win in the second half, maintaining their intensity on the field. La Salle utilized their unselfish play, giving accurate through balls for their forwards to get to the UE final third. DLSU’s high intensity in pressing bore fruit in the 54th minute as Gabe Suarez gave the ball to Aguilar after a loose pass from UE. Aguilar then slotted the ball into the net to double La Salle’s advantage, 2-0.
The green shirts maintained their fluid play from the right wing, frustrating the UE squad as the Red Warriors resorted to fouls to halt the Green Booters’ momentum. The Red Warriors sought to strike back with their counterattacks as La Salle pushed forward, but Adam Abela and Frank Labayen held the defensive lines, clearing the attacks to protect their goalposts.
La Salle built their play from the back in hopes of breaking down the UE defense slowly, but UE maintained their physical display. Creating chances for his team, Aguilar started tracking back to receive the ball from the DLSU half and took on the Red Warriors with his dribbling. In the 68th minute, the white shirts found a breakthrough in breaking down the Lasallian defense, but Mangaoang kept his composure and saved the shot to keep his clean sheet. La Salle’s control continued to frustrate the Red Warriors as Aguilar found a late chance to get his hat-trick, but missed his mark late after the Red Warriors surrounded him. Maintaining their dominating display in the second half, the DLSU Green Booters settled for a two-goal advantage as the referee blew the final whistle, 2-0.
After the game, DLSU Coach Alvin Ocampo stressed that his team must stay wary of the challenges that his team will face in the coming games, “We cannot drop points anymore. It’s going to be a challenge for us. In football right now, there is no weak team.”
After this win, the Green Booters improved to a 3-1-4 record in the Men’s Football Tournament. They aim to build a winning streak in the second round as they take on their archrivals, the ADMU Blue Eagles on Thursday, November 14, at 4 pm at the same venue.
