THE UST Golden Booters absorbed their second loss of the UAAP Season 88 men’s football tournament after falling to the league-leaders UP Fighting Maroons, 2-1, on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
With the defeat, UST slipped to a 1-2-2 win-draw-loss record, while UP extended its unbeaten run to 5-1-0 slate.
After several missed attempts in the opener, Golden Booter Kent Dela Peña broke through for UST with a strike off a clean setup by Trez Mariñas to draw first blood at the 38th minute.
The Fighting Maroons, however, quickly responded after midfielder Benz Samaniego capitalized on a second rebound to slot in the equalizer just before halftime at the 45th minute.
UP kept its momentum going in the second half as Ramil Bation lofted a shot over the UST defense to seize the lead at the 54th mark, 2-1. UP goalkeeper Jose Gonzalez repeatedly denied UST’s attempts to score until stoppage time.
The UST Golden Booters will aim to close the first round on a high note when they face the UE Red Warriors on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the same venue. F
