Dov Cariño and Ateneo de Manila University maintained their strong form in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament, securing a 2-0 victory over University of Santo Tomas on Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Cariño, Ateneo’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder, scored his sixth goal of the season with a simple tap-in during the 40th minute, giving the Blue Eagles a well-deserved lead.
Ateneo had been pushing hard before the opener, with Joaquin Collo and Matti Roxas coming close to scoring.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Of course, every goal feels amazing,” said Cariño. “It felt really good to score for the team and to be one-nil up in the first half.”
UST came out with more aggression in the second half, pressing hard for an equalizer.
Blue Eagles goalkeeper Artuz Cezar stood strong, making crucial saves to deny efforts from TJ Garciano and Archie John Belluga.
Jan Patrick Baito also had a chance from a free kick, but he overshot his attempt.
The Golden Booters’ best opportunity came late in the match with an indirect free kick inside the penalty box, awarded for a high boot.
However, their shot struck the Ateneo wall, allowing the Blue Eagles to launch a counterattack.
Collo finished it off in stoppage time (90+1) to seal the 2-0 win.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the victory, Ateneo coach JP Merida expressed frustration with his team’s performance in the second half.
“I’m not happy with the second half because I think UST had two chances to equalize,” Merida said. “I’m also not happy with how we started the second half, especially with my substitutions.
“I had high expectations for the subs, but I don’t know what went wrong. We couldn’t manage the last 30 minutes, particularly the final 15 minutes.”
Ateneo remains at the top of the standings with 15 points and a plus-9 goal difference.
The Blue Eagles aim for a first-round sweep against University of the East this Thursday at 6:30 PM at the same venue.
Meanwhile, UST finished the first round in third place with nine points and a plus-1 goal difference, coming off three wins and three defeats.
