Dating back to last season, it has now been 542 minutes since the University of the East Red Warriors scored in a UAAP men’s football game. Their lack of killer instinct in front of goal has derailed their campaign so far. Midfielder Bon Opeña and striker Mar Diano are aware of the drought, and both of them came so close to shattering the unwanted record when they challenged the league-leading De La Salle University Green Archers last Sunday.
Still without a goal this season, the Red Warriors are in a relatively unfamiliar situation as the last-placed team in the league. So far, they only have a point this season, which came in a goalless draw against the University of Santo Tomas. In their latest match, Opeña had two good free kicks that prompted DLSU goalkeeper Paeng de Guzman into action. His teammate, Diano, also benefited from the playmaking of Jeffrey Lacsamana and Jo Mallen. The rookie, however, couldn’t hit the ball well enough to turn it into a goal.
The two players pointed to poor finishing as the reason behind their drought. It’s not as if the Red Warriors are starved of chances in any of their games this season. The problem lies in making them count, something Diano and the rest of his teammates have been working hard on. “Yun na lang problema–sa finishing. Kulang kami sa takbo, passing, at communication,” the Masbateño rookie stated.
Hard work usually leads to a reward, but there has yet to be any for UE on the offensive end. In that sense, Opeña feels that fate has been harsh on them. “Ginagawa namin lahat, malas lang talaga,” he sadly uttered.
Diano also infers that the team is just not mentally strong enough yet. According to him, the Red Warriors often lose focus whenever they get called out by fellow teammates or by the members of the coaching staff. “Imo-motivate na lang namin ‘yung sarili namin at saka ‘yung teammates namin na mananalo kami,” Diano realized.
Another loss it may be for UE, but Opeña believes that the game against La Salle should inspire them to perform better in their next games. “Sa tingin ko po ito ‘yung pinakamaganda naming laro. Lahat nag-uusap,” the midfielder said. They forced La Salle to play behind the ball for the most part in the second half. Attempting to salvage a point, Diano came closest when he was left open and onside on the left flank. The striker may have been unprepared and was only able to fire his shot straight towards De Guzman.
In what looks to be an open season, the Red Warriors shouldn’t lose faith in themselves. Despite the wobbly start, UE are just six points away from a Final Four spot. For now, the Warriors are not getting carried away by that fact, for sure. Breaking the goalless run appears to be the most important challenge they need to overcome because in football, a goal is always needed to win a game. Their next crack at scoring a goal and perhaps a decent result comes against the defending champions Far Eastern University, tomorrow afternoon at the Moro Lorenzo Football Field.
