Despite entering the match with an unblemished record and a thirst for redemption, the DLSU Green Booters fell 1-0 to defending champions UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Football Tournament earlier tonight, October 22, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Fielding a reloaded, tough defensive backline, La Salle engaged in an all-out slugfest. However, the Fighting Maroons eventually broke the grueling gridlock when Joseph Garces found the back of the net in the 63rd minute. The lone conversion proved to be the decisive blow, handing La Salle a bitter defeat despite a relentless fight until the final whistle.
Matching pace
Aiming to set a physical tone against the defending champions, the Green Booters opened with a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Isiah Teruel and Frank Labayen anchoring the backline and Lucas Aguilar on the left flank to add a fresh attacking dynamic. The Fighting Maroons quickly asserted their championship pedigree, dictating possession early as Joses Azuer muscled his way through the final third. However, the Taft-based squad erected an impenetrable wall. Goalkeeper Cesar Castro anchored the resistance, registering crucial saves to deny UP’s incursions and keep the Green-and-White unscathed.
The match quickly transformed into a midfield war as La Salle absorbed heavy physical pressure and leaned on swift counterattacks. Favoring the left side of the pitch, Joaquin Collo and Adrian Bacolod threaded combination plays to generate corner kick opportunities, though UP goalkeeper Jose Gonzalez repeatedly intercepted the deliveries. As the defensive slugfest dragged on, frustration mounted, culminating in a yellow card for John Gaverza in the 20th minute after he fought against a rigid maroon defense. With the scorching weather amplifying the pace and only five combined shots recorded, the referee called a cooling break at the 26-minute mark.
After the short pause, the Green Booters finally sparked a golden offensive attack. Igniting a blistering run down the right flank, Uriel Dalapo spotted a streaking Gaverza, whose thundering strike at the 28th minute agonizingly ricocheted off the post. UP immediately retaliated with their own scoring threats, leaning on Ramil Bation to test the Lasallian backline. The Fighting Maroons nearly broke the ice when Bation’s strike also struck the woodwork. With Ryne Doromal telegraphing the opposition’s late set pieces and the defensive shell weathering relentless barrages, La Salle neutralized the defending champions to a scoreless halftime deadlock.
There can only be one
The peaceful, pastel-painted Diliman sky served as the perfect foil for the intense final half below. Feeding off the atmosphere, the maroon shirts immediately penetrated the Lasallian box with two warning shots from Bation. The Green Booters sparked their own fire, highlighted by a slick Lance Locsin pass to Dalapo in the box at the 49th minute, only to be stopped. Adding to the physical affair, Doromal halted another Bation run. The failed charge signaled that the Maroons were seizing every opportunity, regardless of the outcome. At this point, the momentum shifted in the opponent’s favor. Rattling the crossbar, pushing the pace, and engineering counters, UP’s play was clearly seething with aggression.
A breakaway then ensued as Florenz Tacardon crossed the halfway line. Racing against the Green-and-White, the UP skipper found the newly subbed Garces bursting across the field to net an electrifying goal to break the deadlock at the 63’ mark, 1-0. To double the Lasallian faithful’s dismay, UP’s relentless attacks found more gaps, as the red-hot Garces overshot a header in the following minute.
After a tug-of-war for possession and chances, La Salle looked to change the mix with multiple substitutions, emphasizing their attack. The tactic was effective in the 81st minute: Joaquin Collo sent a cross past the UP backline, and the white shirts gave their all to strike the ball in. However, Gonzales’ stellar play notched back-to-back saves to keep the maroon lead. While the Taft-based squad showed an unwavering will to seize an equalizer, the defending champions’ composure and energy stood atop the Booters’ grit. The match soon fizzled out as La Salle suffered their first defeat of the season by the same scoreline that closed out their last, 1-0.
The Green-and-White now regroup as they look to return to their winning ways in their duel against the UST Growling Tigers on Sunday, October 25, at the same venue.