Jarvey Gayoso is making up for lost time as a professional football player.
Starting his second straight game for Kaya-Iloilo in the 2022-2023 Philippines Football league, the former UAAP standout finally scored his first goal for the club in the local circuit as he broke the deadlock against Dynamic Herb Cebu to set the LBC-backed club on its way to a 3-0 win.
It was a triumphant moment for Gayoso as his bout with a hamstring injury last year prevented him from representing the Azkals Development Team in the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara Cup final against his current side.
“Coming in, we wanted to be more aggressive. We understood what we’ve prepared for coming into this game against Cebu. We just wanted to be consistent and implement what we have practiced and what we have set for ourselves in the game,” said the 6-foot-1 forward.
“Consistency was our key, we kept being aggressive even in the second half. I guess when it comes to endurance, we were able to push ourselves to do more.”
As a forward, Gayoso relies on goals to fuel his confidence. After drawing blank against his former team during opening day, this strike against Cebu has allowed him to open his account for the campaign.
Obviously, the objective for the Ateneo alumnus is to consistently score for coach Yu Hoshide’s team. He is treating this as the reset button he needs now that he is one of the key cogs of this Kaya-Iloilo team.
“Coming back from injury, it was kind of frustrating because it’s a stepping stone to getting my groove back,” Gayoso said.
“I love being at the top and I love that the team trusts me to do what I can do up there. So, it’s about working really hard to do what I have to do when I’m in the field.”
One player who has helped Gayoso is teammate Daizo Horikoshi. Horikoshi provided the assist the 25-year-old needed to break his duck and the former then scored two more goals to make it a resounding win for Kaya.
A striker needs to feel the support and service of his teammates to succeed and the 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara Golden Boot winner knows that it all starts from there if he wants to add to his tally.
“It’s good. On and off the field, he and I greet each other in Japanese; I have learned a lot from him. I look up to him,” he explained.
“I looked up to him actually, and he is a goal-scoring threat. So if there’s any chance that we can do what we can, play with each other, make sure we get the ball moving; and it’s fun. I enjoyed playing with him.”
Now that he finally opened his account for the season, Gayoso simply wants to push on for Kaya-Iloilo, which is aiming to finally win that elusive league title.
Kaya-Iloilo needs him to score regularly to annex another trophy and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I believe so, I believe there’s a lot of trust that is coming into me. I had to prove myself coming in here, and that’s the only thing I want to do, continue to prove myself.”
