THE LEAGUE-best Ateneo Blue Eagles took out the fourth-seed UST Golden Booters, 3-2, to conclude the UAAP Season 87 men’s football eliminations on Sunday, Dec. 1, at the UP Football Pitch.
Ateneo maintained its hold on the top spot with 25 points, while UST finished with 14 points.
Both teams are set to face each other in the semifinals on Dec. 8 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
”We don’t care who we face, whether it’s UP or Ateneo… We just want to build momentum before the semis and get a win,” UST head coach Marjo Allado told The Flame.
“We addressed it during the UP game, where we were scoring goals, but the defense was shaky… What we need to focus on is defending, the backline, and midfielders,” he added.
The España squad capitalized first as midfielder CJ Songalia unleashed a strike in the 40th minute to give his team a 1-0 advantage.
In the second half, Ateneo midfielder Dov Cariño overtook the lead with goals in the 58th and the 67th minutes, 2-1.
The Loyola-based squad’s midfielder Leo Maquiling then found the back of the net in the 70th minute to extend the lead by two points, 3-1.
Midfielder John Baito tried to pull UST back in the game with a goal in the 83rd minute, but it was already too late to overcome Ateneo’s lead.
“We’ll push harder because we want the championship for UST… I want to motivate the team and leave a legacy for the next generation,” UST team captain Miguel Abada said. F
