The DLSU Green Booters stomach another deadlock, this time against their archrivals ADMU Blue Eagles, 1-all, in their long-awaited UAAP Season 88 Round One showdown earlier tonight, October 5, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
La Salle rookie James Sibla struck the first blow at the 21’ mark, but the lead was short-lived for the Green Booters after ADMU defender Marco Salud answered back with a strike at the 31st minute.
Guns blazing
Fresh off a nail-biting draw, the Taft-based squad came into the pitch with an aggressive edge, pressing the Blue Eagles and dictating the tempo. The Green Booters proved to be relentless in their pursuit of infiltrating the Ateneo box, earning set-piece opportunities in the first half for DLSU. However, Alfonso Loja, with his reflexes and timing, denied the attempts to keep DLSU scoreless. The Booters’ urgency, led by the rookie Bacchus Ekberg, spearheaded a set-piece in the 17th minute for a dynamic power shot, but stopped by the Atenean goalie once again.
After a series of blows and chances, the Lasallians seized a euphoric goal within reach as a counterattack opened yet another window for the Green-and-White forwards to make magic happen. With a full head of steam and with a misdirected shot from Alonso Aguilar, Sibla answered the call, netting a goal to secure the lead for La Salle at the 21’ mark.
With Ateneo’s bread and butter coming from striker Kofi Agyei, La Salle’s point of emphasis would be to slow him down. The DLSU Captain Frank Labayen’s defense made it evident, denying crosses and crushing the Ateneo attacks. Then, the rest of the squad paced out the match with long forward passes to run down the field and shake the spirits of the Blue Eagles.
As the clock ticked and physicality ramped up, referees began issuing warnings to both teams.
To the Lasallians’ dismay, and despite numerous stops, a set-piece in the 30th minute cleared Agyei to find Marco Salud, who gracefully guided the goal with a header to even the score. The blue shirts took adjustments with more aggression, but were properly matched by La Salle’s intensity. Ekberg contributed to multiple key stops and fired up the crowd with his creativity.
Still, recurring themes of hard-hitting attempts halted by Ateneo plagued the Lasallians yet again. In the final moments of the first half, Agyei’s effort sailed off the target, keeping both sides deadlocked at 1-all going into halftime.
Half-chances rut
After trading early scoring opportunities in the first half, the battle between the rivals resumed on level footing. Ateneo dictated the early pace, maintaining most of the possession through right-flank buildups led by Team Captain Dov Cariño. La Salle’s backline, however, remained organized and composed under pressure. The match’s temperature rose quickly as rookie Adrian Aparilla was booked in the 49th minute amid a brief touchline commotion. The call granted Ateneo a free kick that Mateo Lacson sent straight into the hands of La Salle goalkeeper Edcel Lauron. Not a minute later, ADMU midfielder Joziah Rance picked up a yellow warning of his own, highlighting the intensity brewing up on both sides. The tone shifted immediately after, with each challenge now carrying a hint of restraint.
La Salle sought breakthroughs in the brief windows between repelling Ateneo’s attacks, but their efforts repeatedly met their rivals’ defensive walls, anchored by Kendryx Soriano. La Salle tried to string long passes together to find openings, yet many ended in turnovers. Their persistence briefly shone on the left flank until a collision between Aguilar and Ateneo’s Marcus Arias forced a stoppage at the 59’ mark. Arias, unable to continue, was stretchered off as both sides caught their breath amid the rising tension.
Ateneo continued to press, mainly through Cariño and Agyei, creating half-chances inside the box, while La Salle nearly snatched the lead at the 62nd minute when Sibla misfired off a broken play. Fatigue soon crept in, and physical exchanges piled up; defender Jose Castrillo’s yellow card set up another unconverted set piece to Ateneo in the 73rd minute. Aguilar kept leading the Green Booters’ countercharges, forcing a late corner at the 81st minute, but Ateneo’s defensive wall held firm at the box. However, the Ateneans’ mark on Aguilar led to several blows, eventually earning Atenean defender Caleb Santos a yellow card and giving La Salle’s Castrillo a late kick that went off target. In the dying minutes, miscommunication plagued La Salle, whose tired legs and short-handed creativity limited any last hurrah and forced them to settle for a 1-all deadlock.
The DLSU Green Booters now turn their focus to their upcoming Round One clash with the reigning kings of UAAP Men’s Football, the FEU Tamaraws, on October 19 at the same venue.
