Florenz Tacardon brushed off any personal recognition after scoring the late game-winner in the University of the Philippines’ 1-0 victory over neighbor Ateneo de Manila University on Thursday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
A former standout of Claret School of Quezon City, Tacardon rose above Ateneo defender Marco Salud to head in Ken Saludez’s cross in the 86th minute — a decisive strike that lifted the Fighting Maroons to 22 points and sealed their place in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament.
“Actually, yung goal ko, it was given by my teammates lang naman eh,” said the 22-year-old forward.
“I was just lucky enough to be there. I wasn’t even in the right position. Nagulat na lang ako na nandun yung bola sa harap ko. I jumped for it. I wanted to reward their hard work, especially you see Ken running, Adri (Caraig) running. It was really pure hard work thanks to them.”
For the elimination round at least, UP holds the bragging rights over Ateneo, having also prevailed 3-2 in their first-round encounter.
Matches between the Fighting Maroons and the Blue Eagles are always highly charged, with both sides — driven by school pride — giving their all to secure the win. This edition was no different, as both perennial contenders engaged in a physical and emotional battle from start to finish.
For Tacardon, the difference lay in the team’s heart and hunger to win.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“It was a team effort,” he said. “Kitang-kita mo na everybody was giving their all from start to finish.
“Everybody was fighting their asses off. I really want to commend this team because, for me, mas binigay namin yung puso namin kesa sa Ateneo, and that’s why we have this result.”
Despite already clinching a Final Four berth, the Fighting Maroons still have plenty to play for with four matches left in the elimination round. The twice-to-beat incentive has been reinstated this Season 88 for the top two teams heading into the semifinals — a target UP is eager to secure.
That’s why, despite the milestone, Tacardon insists it’s back to work for the Fighting Maroons.
UP will next face De La Salle — which held them to a draw in the first round — this Sunday before the tournament pauses to allow the Philippine Men’s Under-23 National Team to prepare for its Southeast Asian Games campaign this December.
“We’re not thinking about that,” said Tacardon. “As what we say every game, it’s one game at a time. Walang looking toward the future. Walang next game. It’s always this game. I think walang may alam dito na we’re closing in na. It’s just we had this hard-fought game.
“I think after this game, last game na namin before the break is this Sunday. Again, one game at a time. After this game, after today, tomorrow back to reality: train hard, work hard, ibalik ang paa sa lupa because we want to redeem ourselves after what happened vs La Salle in the first round.”
