With a team built mostly on newcomers, it was but fitting that fresh blood propelled the De La Salle University Green Archers to their first win in the UAAP Season 81 Men’s Football Tournament.
At the back of Filipino-Yemeni forward Mohammad Adil Almohjili‘s strike, the Green Archers prevailed 1-0 over the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, Sunday afternoon at the Far Eastern University-Diliman field in Quezon City.
“We can’t be satisfied with this game. We have to work on a lot of things in the team. One is gelling, two is yung experience ng mga bata. We started with eight rookies. More games pa rin eh… All of the teams right now in the UAAP are not pushovers,” said La Salle mentor Alvin Ocampo.
The game started in hideous fashion when a scuffle broke out between the two squads. Referee John Michael Bolinan presented Adamson’s Ricardo Ortinez Jr the red card for his part in the incident.
Adamson, though, successfully weathered the storm in the first period as the San Marcelino school held La Salle at bay. Aside from a few half chances, Soaring Falcons goalkeeper Carl Viray did not really have to make a save against the Green Archers.
That all changed at the 50th minute of game. Almohjili ,who substituted Fellow neophyte Xavier Zubiri late in the first period, took the ball from the left flank, penetrated the Soaring Falcons box and shot past Viray for the opener.
The Mechanical Engineering student’s goal galvanized La Salle to add to its lead but goalkeeping heroics from Viray denied Jed Diamante and Mikio Umilin from etching their names on the scoresheet. Nevertheless, Almohjili’s goal was enough to hand La Salle three valuable points.
“Everyone needs to contribute, even the seniors. Lagi naming sinasabi there’s no rookies, there’s no seniors. Team tayo. Everyone needs to give their equal share of contributions in the game,” added Ocampo.
La Salle shall next face University of the East on February 28, 2019, 1:00 PM at the FEU-Diliman field. Adamson will also go up against UE but on March 3, 2019, 1:00 PM with the venue yet to be announced.
AdU XI: Cayadong III, De Guzman, Jumo I, Jumo II, Lozano, Ortinez, Pilarca, Poncardas, Rabino, Ramos, Viray (GK), (C).
DLSU XI: Abao, Diamante (C), Alcantara, Koizumi, Lagura, Marfiga, Penalosa, Umilin, Vergara, Villacin (GK), Zubiri.
