One of the most overstated cliches in football is that it is a game of two halves. Yet perhaps it is what best describes Jarvey Gayoso’s performance in the first round meeting between his Ateneo Blue Eagles and archrivals De La Salle Green Archers.
The former Ateneo High School standout had a barren first half before turning up the style with a key brace for his team to notch a sweet 2-1 win against their bitter rivals.
The star striker was not totally starved of chances in the first half, but he didn’t make the most of the opportunities presented to him. At one point, he had a one-on-one opportunity in front of him before he took long enough for opposing Noel Brago to intervene and deny him what could have been a huge goal early in the first half.
He managed to find himself in a good position one more time before the break when his neat header was palmed away by the outstretched hands of DLSU keeper Paeng de Guzman.
Gayoso himself admitted that the heated battle got into him hence the sub-par showing from last season’s Most Valuable Player.
“I have to be honest I had a lot of jitters. I didn’t feel I was playing the way I should be playing in the first half,” the 21-year-old striker confessed.
What added to his disappointment was the hostile La Salle crowd taunting him every chance that they got to, particularly calling him “overrated”. Aware of the situation, Gayoso chose to take it in stride rather than it further negate his impact in the game more.
“I respect whatever they say.
“There’s a reason they call me overrated. I know that I have to work on something more,” the BS Management student politely responded.
After all, he had already learned a lot about it during his first ever UAAP game which also happened to be against DLSU. They lost 3-1 then with Gayoso unable to score against de Guzman. Instead of letting the crowd win, he stayed driven to perform for himself and more importantly for the team.
Good thing for him, halftime came at the right time. At that moment, he found inspiration from who he calls as his brothers — his teammates.
“You have what it takes. Everybody believes in you. We need you because the moment you step up everybody will follow up behind you.”
Those were the words that Carlitos Mathay, Gayoso’s teammate, told him during halftime.
It proved to be a defining moment as Gayoso stepped up to deliver his team two valuable goals to earn them a much-needed win. Aside from beating their rivals, Ateneo also closed the gap between them and the league-leading UP Fighting Maroons–the team they lost to in the season-opener–to just three points.
There are still loads of football left to be played to look at the standings yet each team in the league knows the importance of building a winning momentum approaching the business end of the season. Surely, Ateneo wouldn’t want to be anywhere but where they ended up last season. For them to return to the top, Gayoso highlighted their collective strength as the key.
“This is not a team — this is a family; this is a wolf pack. These guys are my brothers and we’re all there fighting for each other,” Ateneo’s star forward emphasized.
With more challenges seen to come their way this season, expect nothing less but full effort and commitment from Gayoso and his winning band of brothers. Stronger together, the Blue Eagles just won’t let their crown slip without a fight to the finish.
