The DLSU Green Booters showcased a gritty defensive performance to grab a well-earned draw in their UAAP Season 88 Men’s Football Tournament Round One meeting with the UP Fighting Maroons, 0-all, earlier today, October 2, at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub.
Edcel Lauron was awarded the Man of the Match award after a brave goalkeeping performance against a very dangerous Fighting Maroons squad.
Defensive display
Coming off a vital win last week, the DLSU Green Booters entered this encounter full of confidence. However, the top-seeded UP Fighting Maroons started the match on the front foot, with possession and attacking plays all coming from the Diliman-based squad for the opening ten minutes. Recognizing the need to play with a pragmatic approach, La Salle eventually settled into playing with a compact 4-5-1 midblock, surrendering possession to their opponents while prioritizing defensive solidity. The Green Booters had trouble striking through the Fighting Maroons’ goalkeeper, Alfonso Gonzales, who stepped out and became an auxiliary outfielder, which led to midfield overloads against La Salle.
At the 15’ mark, UP began to test the Lasallian backline by delivering multiple crosses and long throws. A lot of this came from Jian Caraig, whose long throws have been known to trouble opponents on the international stage. Nevertheless, rookie DLSU goalkeeper Lauron stood up to the test, making multiple stops to bail out his team. This would become a common feature throughout the rest of the game.
In an attempt to test the UP defense, La Salle opted to go direct and send in long passes to bypass the pressure. However, this turned out to be unsuccessful as UP goalkeeper Gonzales remained untested in the first half. The Fighting Maroons nearly capitalized on a counterattack when Ramil Bation found himself with time and space in the penalty area at the 35’ mark. But the succeeding shot went just wide of the post, keeping the score goalless.
Toward the end of the first half, UP suffered an injury as Shan Lorque hit the deck, forcing a substitution from the bench. This interrupted their attacking momentum, and La Salle was able to hold on to the 0-all scoreline as the referee quickly blew the halftime whistle.
Drawing a point
After a good defensive performance in the first half, the Green Booters intensified their pressing to pressure UP in their passing. La Salle’s defensive display gave them a chance in the 51st minute when a free kick was awarded to the white shirts in a dangerous area. However, the Green-and-White was unable to break the deadlock as Bacchus Ekberg’s shot hit the Fighting Maroon wall. DLSU remained persistent, getting into the final third and crossing in balls to create chances.
The Lasallians’ offensive threat was quickly wiped away, with UP regaining control to force La Salle to dig deep into their defensive tactics. Despite going down to 10 men at times due to injury, the Green Booters remained solid at the back to keep the scoreline level. UP continued to apply pressure to DLSU’s backline with the substitution of forwards Jan Caraig and Lorenz Tortona to revitalize their attack, but Lauron was firm between the sticks, making crucial saves for La Salle.
La Salle continued with their defensive duties, with UP enjoying heavy possession late in the game. Jan Caraig and Juan Basmayor had clean chances to score, but their shots were off the mark thanks to La Salle’s composed defense. The substitution of team captain Frank Labayen in the 81st minute injected energy back into the Green-and-White, making runs into the middle of the park. La Salle and UP went back and forth in search of the opening goal, but both defensive lines were eager to keep their clean sheets. A late run to the final third by James Sibla was not enough, as UP were the more offensive side to end the game. However, Lauron was on the mark in his shot blocking, making another save to cap off the draw for La Salle against the top-seeded UP, 0-all.
After the matchup, Head Coach Richard Leyble praised his team’s defensive effort while highlighting the fact that the La Salle side was much younger than today’s opponents. “We are very young. We have 12 rookies on this team. But they know how to kick a football, [and] they know how to defend also. We will try our best, because these young players can do it. Just try your best and don’t give up.” Leyble also heavily acknowledged the impressive performance of rookie goalkeeper Lauron. “He had the composure, [and] the confidence was there. I said [to him] ‘don’t be in a hurry,’ and he followed.” When asked how he will motivate his team for the future matches, the tactician simply said that he will retain the same message. “Our target is not to lose to these strong teams. Last season, we lost 7-0 to [UP], so I asked them, ‘Are you allowing these teams to do it again? You can play against these teams, we’re the same as them.”
After keeping two clean sheets in a row, the Green Booters aim to carry over their defensive momentum in their next match against rivals ADMU Blue Eagles on Sunday, October 5, at 4 pm at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
