Riding on a strong Round 1 performance, the DLSU Green Booters cruised to a dominant 8-0 Round 2 opening victory, shutting down the UE Red Warriors in their UAAP Season 89 Men’s Football Tournament match earlier today, November 5, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
James Paul Sibla set the tone with an early goal in the fourth minute, before Argos Alingalan, Joaquin Collo, and Uriel Dalapo netted three more points, cementing an outstanding 4-0 lead by halftime. The Green-and-White remained assertive in the second half, as Alingalan set the tone with a close-range shot in the 53rd minute, which was followed up by Sibla’s second goal and Lucas Aguilar’s back-to-back goals.
A statement start
The Green Booters wasted no time asserting their dominance against the Red Warriors, applying pressure in the opening minutes of their Round 2 encounter, with their aggression eventually paying off in the fourth minute. John Gaverza initiated a one-two sequence with Alingalan before sending a cutback pass to James Paul Sibla, who converted to draw first blood for La Salle, 1-0.
The early breakthrough fueled DLSU’s momentum, with Gaverza continuing to orchestrate the attack. The forward carved open UE’s defense once more in the 10th minute, finding Dalapo with a cutback pass, but UE goalkeeper Mhike Jhenard Cimat came up with a save to deny the attempt. The Recto-based squad looked to respond through Kieth Hermoso, but his attacking effort was halted by an offside call. The Green Booters, however, remained relentless, as Collo threaded a through ball to Alingalan in the 15th minute, allowing the latter to find the back of the net and double La Salle’s lead, 2-0.
With the Taft-based squad dictating the pace, Gaverza and Collo combined to find another opening in the 25th minute. Gaverza delivered a cutback pass into Collo’s path, allowing the midfielder to fire home La Salle’s third goal and stretch the advantage to 3-0. Despite trailing by three goals at the 30-minute cooling break, the Red Warriors continued to look for opportunities, with Mark Maghinay and Hermoso attempting to penetrate the Green Booters’ defensive line. However, La Salle remained composed at the back, with goalkeeper Inigo Castro thwarting UE’s breakthroughs.
As the opening half approached its closing minutes, DLSU remained on the front foot, adding another goal to their tally in the 44th minute as Collo launched a long ball toward Dalapo, who capitalized on the opportunity to deliver the point. The Recto-based squad mounted one final attempt before the halftime whistle with Maghinay sending the ball into the box, but Castro was on hand to collect it and preserve the Green-and-White’s clean sheet.
Numbers on the boards
After closing the first half with a sizable 4-0 lead, Jason Salvante took over goalie duties in place of Castro, while Jed Francisco checked in for Calvin Li. The Red-and-White turned to Hermoso in the 46th minute, who found their best opportunity all game via a right wing attack, only to overshoot the attempt. As the ball returned to DLSU, UE applied stronger defensive pressure in the opening minutes. However, that improved defense was short-lived, as Gaverza went down the left lane and sent a cross-field pass to an open Alingalan for a goal in the 53rd minute. Capitalizing on the momentum, Gaverza orchestrated another opportunity, squeezing in between two redshirts before finding Sibla, who netted another goal just five minutes later, putting the lead at 6-0 in favor of La Salle. After cementing a solid lead, the Green-and-White slowly checked out the majority of their starters one-by-one.
Despite the foothold, the Green Booters maintained their aggression. After Red Warrior Christian Dave Dy missed a scoring opportunity, Aguilar navigated his way through the teeth of the defense, resulting in a left-foot strike that extended the lead to 7-0 in the 74th minute. Just moments after, Collo capitalized on the left wing, threading the ball to an open Aguilar in the middle of the box, netting him back-to-back goals in the span of just two minutes. The Red Warriors attempted a response as Hermoso hunted an opening in the middle of the box, only to go wide into the crossbar. Looking to extend the lead further, the Green Booters found back-to-back close-range opportunities, but both Gaverza and Collo weren’t able to capitalize. As the Green Booters went into three minutes of extra time, they didn’t let up the pressure until the final buzzer sounded, eventually earning the confidence-boosting 8-0 victory.
Following their statement opening win, the Green Booters aim to tame the UST Growling Tigers on Thursday, November 12, at 2 pm, at the same venue.