DRIVEN BY their determination to end the 18-year title drought, the UST Golden Booters have become the hunters in the UAAP Season 87 men’s football tournament.
Under the guidance of head tactician Marjo Allado and UAAP’s reigning best goalkeeper Miguel Abada, last season’s bronze finishers’ primary goal is clear: Nothing short of a championship.
After narrowly missing out on a finals appearance in Season 86, the Booters have set the tone for the upcoming league with a focused attitude.
“For the past years, we’ve always been on the podium, but what we’re really hunting for is the championship,” Allado said.
“The drive I see in the players this season is like double or triple. Sometimes, you don’t even need to motivate them too much because they already have that motivation within themselves to compete,” he added.
Despite losing goalkeeper Carlo Fernandez and midfielder Miguel Orale, the Booters were able to hold their core members intact and is striving to fortify the team’s mentality and confidence to go all the way.
Short offseason
The offseason for all football teams was shorter than usual after the UAAP moved the event to the first half of the season. The limited preparation time posed obstacles, with the rainy season affecting their ability to operate in the field.
Allado noted that the lack of a standard preseason forced teams to focus more on maintaining physical readiness through friendly matches.
“All of the UAAP men’s football teams, not just UST, haven’t had a proper preseason. It’s more about playing friendly matches against strong football clubs to keep the players’ match fitness and composure,” he said.
With limited training time, the game’s mental aspect took center stage. For the Golden Booters, this meant reinforcing the players’ resilience to remain motivated despite the circumstances.
“The core of our team is the same as last season, so not much has changed… It’s not about physical, it’s more on the mental,” Allado added.
This pushed UST star striker TJ Garciano to dedicate his preseason to toughen up mentally for the upcoming season.
“All I do is keep on training, and whenever I have extra free time, I train more,” Garciano said.
Veteran midfielders Sam Louie Allegre and Archie Belluga echoed Garciano’s sentiments, citing the importance of ramping up efforts in training.
“I plan to be more aggressive and more vocal on the field to help our team win,” Allegre said.
“To maintain my performance, I’ve increased the intensity of my training. It’s no longer just relaxed; now the training intensity is much higher,” Belluga added.
Reflecting on last season’s inconsistencies, Allado prepared his team to maintain high standards throughout the season.
“We always remind the players that we can’t drop our standards. Always focus on our goal, which is the championship,” the chief tactician said.
Fresh kicks
While keeping most of the team on board, UST scouted players from Visayas and Mindanao, some of whom have already made strong impressions.
“They can survive UAAP… They can stand out with the guidance of the senior players and coaches. Just give them confidence,” Allado said.
Homegrown talents from the Juniors Golden Booters, namely striker Trez Marinas and midfielder Kristien Elopre, committed to join last season’s quarterfinalist.
Marinas said he needs extra effort to contribute to the team as he knows the pressure of the big stage.
“I still have to work harder… the pressure is building up, but I have to handle it,” the rookie said.
“As they say, diamonds are built under pressure, so I have to push that extra limit and prove to the coaches that I am worthy to be in that spot.”
Meanwhile, Elopre cited the importance of veteran guidance in the team’s Season 87 collegiate tournament journey.
“I learned things that I had not realized when I was in the juniors… Since they’re like older brothers to me, they taught me many things both inside and outside the football field,” Elopre said.
Aside from new recruits, the Booters also bolstered their leadership efforts by pairing up the co-captain and winger Andrew Ramos IV with Abada. Taking the co-captain role after being with the team for six years, Ramos is determined to take an “older brother” role to set an example for his teammates.
“I want to be a leader inside and outside the field… When we have tough times, I just give them a pep talk, especially after a bad game or tough training session. I motivate them to do better in the next game,” Ramos said.
Same goal
The UST Golden Booters last won their championship title 18 years ago during Season 69, where they won against the FEU Tamaraws with a score of 4-2.
Despite being title-less for nearly two decades, the Golden Booters remain undeterred. The team is fueled by last season’s heartbreak, using it as motivation for its quest to reclaim the title.
The Booters view the journey forward as not just about winning—it’s about redemption and proving that the fire to be champions burns brighter than ever.
“Personally, I had the worst season last year since I was one of the reasons why we didn’t reach the finals… So now, I’m much more eager to improve so we can win this season,” Ramos, the longest-tenured Booter, said.
With high expectations following the team’s third-place finish last campaign, Abada assured supporters that the team is aiming even higher this year.
“There’s a lot of pressure, but I’ll do my best to look forward [to] every game and I will try my best to have a clean sheet,” he said.
The Golden Booters will kick off their season on Sunday, Sept. 15, when they face the UE Red Warriors at the UP Football Pitch. F – Rishna Joy Maglinao
