Avenging their first-round defeat to defending champion University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University-Diliman did more than reclaim pride — they secured a crucial advantage heading into the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Football Final Four.
Dumaguete-born winger Jacob Keleghan stole the spotlight as the Baby Tamaraws toppled the Jr. Golden Booters, 3–1, on Saturday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
The victory not only redeemed their 2–1 loss from February 11, but also made FEU-D the first team to clinch the twice-to-beat advantage this Season 88.
“Very happy,” said Baby Tamaraws coach Jake Morallo. “’Yan yung objective namin na makuha namin yung top two, dahil magkakaroon ka ng advantage pagdating sa semifinals.”
He went on, “Masaya kami na nandun kami sa stage na yun, but di pa tapos yung games. May remaining games pa kami, so kailangan naming mag-adjust ulit depende sa kalaban namin.”
Keleghan, now in his third playing year with FEU-D, provided the insurance after Enzo Panganiban’s 42nd-minute opener. He doubled the Baby Tamaraws’ lead in the 81st minute and later converted a clinical penalty in the 90th minute to put the game out of reach.
UST striker Argos Alingalan managed to pull one back for the Golden Booters in stoppage time (90+5′), but his strike proved merely a consolation for the defending champions.
“Very happy na nakabalik si Jacob,” Morallo added. “I think the last two games namin, hindi siya nakapag-start dahil sa knee problem niya. But now na nakabalik siya, I think he’s 100% fit. He deserved the two goals, so I’m happy na dahan-dahan nakabalik si Jacob.”
Now on a three-game winning streak, the Baby Tamaraws lead the standings with 25 points, while the Golden Booters sit second with 22 points.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Joining FEU-D and UST in the Final Four is De La Salle Zobel, which climbed to third place with 20 points after a dramatic 3–2 victory in the nightcap over bottom-ranked Claret School of Quezon City (3 points).
Compared to its 6–1 win over Claret last January 17, La Salle had to dig deep this time to secure the win.
The Red Roosters stunned the Junior Green Booters early, taking a 1–0 lead through Florence Constantino in the 15th minute. La Salle midfielder Inigo Ramirez quickly leveled the score, but Claret regained the advantage before halftime when Rossen Comla found the net in the 43rd minute.
Refusing to let the upset stand, La Salle intensified the pressure in the second half. Massimo Sarmiento restored parity in the 58th minute, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. With the match headed for a draw, Ian Suerto struck in the 89th minute to complete the comeback and secure the Final Four berth for the Junior Green Booters.
Carrying the vital three points, La Salle coach Arvin Soliman is already turning his attention to their upcoming clash with UST.
“Bago itong game na ‘to, I told the boys na kailangan namin manalo sa remaning matches namin, including yung UST,” said Soliman. “I think against UST it’s a must-win game para makuha namin yung second spot in the table and yung twice-to-beat advantage.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Meanwhile, PAREF Southridge (14 points) leapfrogged Ateneo de Manila University (13 points), which was on a bye this matchday, to claim fourth place by defeating sixth-placed Adamson University (6 points), 2–1, in the second match of the afternoon.
The match remained deadlocked until stoppage time, when Francis Poticano rose to the occasion for the Admirals. After drawing a foul from Baby Falcons defender Mark Hayahay to earn a penalty, Poticano calmly converted the spot-kick in the 90+5th minute to snatch the victory.
The result was also a significant improvement for the Admirals compared to their first-round encounter on January 24, which ended in a 3–3 draw.
“After the first half, I told him that he should step up his game because I know if he starts moving and getting more on the ball, things will happen,” said Southridge’s Ghanaian coach Sam Bonney.
“First five minutes in the second half, he was able to receive the ball from the half space and did the cut-back, and then there’s an own goal. He was able to receive the ball again from the half space and cause a penalty, and he converted the penalty. Great job for Poticano. I’m happy with the way he moved in the second half,” he added.
Before Poticano’s last-minute heroics, the Admirals first took the lead in the 49th minute via an own goal from Adamson defender Troy Sambilad.
The Baby Falcons responded in the 62nd minute through a Josh Año penalty, but the equalizer ultimately failed to spark a full turnaround for the San Marcelino-based squad.
