The DLSU Green Booters successfully shut out the ADMU Blue Eagles after a physical 3-0 tussle in their UAAP Men’s Football Tournament season-opener earlier tonight, October 4, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Rookie Joaquin Collo earned Man of the Match honors after scoring La Salle’s first goal of the season, with Lucas Aguilar and Argos Alingalan adding second-half strikes in the 52nd and 86th minutes, respectively.
Steady in the crossfire
Returning to square one after a cut-short Finals bid in their Final Four return last season, the loaded Green Booters took to the field and broke the ice quickly, only for their first attacking move to be flagged offside. Shaking off the jitters and letting the call slip past, they immediately orchestrated a second attack through Uriel Dalapo before Mateo Lacson stepped in to dispossess him. The Blue Eagles soon began working the ball deeper into their attacking third, as Lacson nearly caught the Green-and-White off guard with a breath-stopping header that skimmed the side netting. Andrei Gonzales likewise outran his marker but could not finish with a goal. Fortunately for La Salle, after more chances of pushes and retractions, Collo connected with a powerful shot in the face of his defenders at the ninth minute, handing DLSU a 1-0 lead.
With John Gaverza nearly doubling the advantage moments later, the white shirts grew more wary and physical, with shoulders and tackles flying in an increasingly combative back-and-forth. Taking the initiative into his own hands, Ateneo Team Captain Dov Cariño found a prime opportunity to curl one into the net at the 21st minute, but his effort landed straight in the hands of La Salle’s keeper. Two more chances followed, but both Gonzales and Cariño’s second attempt were stifled by the Lasallians’ suffocating enclosures.
Seeing little come from the Blue Eagles’ long-ball approach, the Taft-based squad began working toward a second goal. The mounting physicality, however, continued to spill over, as a 31st-minute collision at the center circle between Isaiah Teruel and Renz Partosa earned the Ateneans their first yellow card of the night. The Green-and-White then fashioned another opening and was awarded a corner, which the white shirts cleared well, seconds before a foul inside the box brought a yellow card for La Salle head coach Richard Leyble. The exchanges remained heated until the 41’ mark, where another close engagement resulted in two more bookings for Marcus Arias and Neil Estampador.
The Katipunan-based squad showcased a good transition defense as a last show of first-half effort, but three minutes of added time and two further attempts from DLSU still left them trailing 1-0 at halftime.
Slamming the door shut
Following the whistle-riddled opening half in the books, the second half restarted at a blistering pace. Ateneo earned an immediate lifeline in the 47th minute, but DLSU goalkeeper Cesar Castro gathered the corner with dominance. Meanwhile, La Salle immediately countered with sustained possession, threatening through a combination between Collo, Lance Locsin, Gaverza, and Dalapo. Aguilar then dragged an effort just wide of the target before Doromal’s follow-up header lacked the power to beat the keeper. However, the Green Booters’ persistence paid off at the 52-minute mark when Aguilar swiftly reacted to Gaverza’s frantic pass, sliding the ball under the Atenean keeper from a razor-thin angle to make it 2-0.
As leg-weariness set in, Ateneo injected fresh legs in search of a comeback. Yet, the Katipunan squad met a green wall. La Salle Team Captain Frank Labayen and defender Teruel put on a defensive masterclass, double-teaming on Cariño and forcing Ateneo’s key player into central traffic with the rest of the white shirts. This caused the Blue Eagles to squander their few clear opportunities, where Cariño skied an off-balance effort, while Gio Gigataras saw his strike roll past the far post.
The knockout blow landed in the 86th minute, where a recycled possession found rookie Argos Alingalan, who picked out the top-right corner with laser precision and made it a 3-0 game. A late offside flag denied Ateneo an 89th-minute lifeline, while a long-range screamer from La Salle’s Adrian Bacolod nearly added a fourth goal in stoppage time. Ultimately, La Salle claimed victory for their season opener, easily putting the Green Booters second on the table on goal difference, backed by an efficient 7-on-target performance.
The Lasallians look to build on the victory when they return to the same venue on Thursday, October 8, against the UE Red Warriors.