THE ADAMSON Soaring Falcons earned their first win in five years after taking out the UST Golden Booters, 2-1, in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 men’s football tournament.
UST entered the match riding high after a 2-1 triumph over DLSU on Nov. 3, but Adamson seized the moment to turn the tide on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the UP Football Pitch.
The Falcons lifted their standing to 1-7 with three points, while the Golden Booters dropped to a 4-4 record with 12 points.
Adamson scored its first goal of the season after Marlon Dasig converted a smooth penalty kick in the 20th minute, 1-0.
Falcon Roberto Roldan doubled his team’s lead in the 36th minute by slipping past UST’s defense with a strike, making it 2-0.
In the second half, the España squad subbed in mid-fielder CJ Songalia whose quick attempt was denied by Adamson’s goalkeeper Shande Salarda.
Last year’s bronze finishers cut the deficit to one after Carsten Pumareja delivered a sharp side pass to John Selarde in the 80th minute, 2-1.
Adding to their woes, the Golden Booters were without captain and goalkeeper Miguel Abada and striker TJ Garciano.
After the match, UST head coach Marjo Allado expressed disappointment with his team’s performance in the first half.
“I think we did not play good football a while ago… We played well in our previous game, but we tend to underperform when we play against teams with more losses than us,” Allado told The Flame.
“Football is not about the game plan all the time, it’s also about the attitude,” he added.
The Golden Booters will seek redemption when they face last season’s finalists FEU Tamaraws on Nov. 14, Thursday, at the same venue. F – with reports from Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
