United Football League (UFL) Division I team Green Archers United FC started their campaign in the 2015 UFL Cup with a victory against Bright Star FC, 4-0, and leapfrogged Army to second place in Group A, Tuesday night, May 5 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
It was Bright Star FC that attempted to score early in the first half. At the second minute of the match, Mark Saturinas had a shot on goal only to be saved by Green Archers’ goalie Kim Versales. Another try by Mohamed Camara was left wanting and was again easily gathered by Versales. The underdogs continued to disrupt the backline of the Division I side, but it was too compact for them to operate.
After that spell from the non-league squad on offense, the Green Archers started to make movements on the offensive side. The Division I side had several promising runs on the flanks that disrupted the opposing defense. At the 11th minute, the Archers took their first corner and Daniel del Rio slotted the ball in for the go-ahead goal. The leading team still pressed on and had a few more chances on the goal. Bright Star FC also tried to score on some instances; nonetheless, the Archers kept their shape. GAU doubled their lead after Tatin Pasilan calmly breached Bright Star’s goalie Valentino Tolentino’s guard two minutes before the half, care of Tating Pasilan. Pasilan and his squad lead 2-0 at the break.
It was the same story in the second period, as the Green Archers kept on pushing the ball towards the attacking third. However, Bright Star FC managed to create more chances in this half when the leading side loosened up on defense. The team in red had a golden chance at the 67th minute. Adakole Adams’ shot almost caught Versales on his heels, but it sailed over the bar. The game turned uneventful until a few minutes before the final whistle. The black-shirted squad scored two more goals. At the 80th minute, Gelo Diamante guided the ball into the goal mouth for his squad’s third. Just five minutes before the end of the match, Jovanie Simpron fired a shot from way outside the box to put the exclamation point in this clinical win for the Green and Black.
Coach Rodolfo Alicante of Green Archers United shared that his team’s game plan is to press in order to get an early goal, which for him was accomplished. “This is a good start,” when asked about how his team fared in their opening match. After conquering Bright Star, Green Archers United FC will attempt to follow up this win against Pasargad FC on Sunday, May 10, while Bright Star FC will test their mettle against Ceres-La Salle FC right after the said match.
