Unlike their last game against Adamson, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws found a way to get the victory.
The Morayta-based school struck a goal with seven minutes remaining, to prevail 2-1 over the De La Salle University Green Archers, Sunday morning, at the FEU-Diliman turf in Quezon City.
“Usually, after second half, our mentality also goes low. (We) cannot concentrate at a hundred-percent. We always have a meeting about the mentality. That time, the last minutes (before the 85th minute), it’s an important time to score. Even if we are winning, we should not just protect our goal. That time, opponents try to attack more so that time is more opportunity to score,” explained FEU coach Park Bo Bae.
The Tamaraws started the contest brightly when Kim Minsu took advantage of a defensive miscue and found space to shoot past Green Archers goalie Gab Villacin for the lead at the first minute of the game.
But La Salle answered back thanks to Alfonso Montelibano’s fine play. Montelibano penetrated the left flank and produced a cool finish in the 22nd minute to draw level.
Chances then came aplenty for the Green & White after the break. The likes of Mauro Acot and Jed Diamante had their sniffs at goal, but their attempts failed to properly test FEU goalkeeper Dave Parac.
FEU withstood wave after wave of attack from La Salle, and provided scares of their own. Substitute winger Gio Pabualan saw his free-kick hit the crossbar.
Pabualan’s attempt should have been the Green Archers’ biggest warning, but they failed to heed it and committed another foul deep in their half. Dominique Canonigo stepped up to take the free kick, and he found the back of the net – albeit with a deflection – in the 83rd minute.
Canonigo’s strike ultimately sealed all three points for FEU. Meanwhile, La Salle could only lament their missed chances early in the game alongside a header from a Green Archer that hit the crossbar in stoppage time.
La Salle (9 points) end the first round against archrivals Ateneo de Manila University on March 21, 2019, 3:00 PM at FEU-Diliman. On the other hand, FEU (15 points) take a break before the second round starts.
DLSU XI: Acot, Alcantara, Alegre, De Vera, Diamante ©, Koizumi, Marfiga, Montelibano, Siggaoat, Umilin, Villacin (GK).
FEU XI: Canonigo, Darapan, Decena, Forrosuelo, Friggillano, Kim, Parac (GK), Rayos, Rey, Saldivar ©, Salilig.
