By: Lorenzo del Carmen and Nicole Parallag
University of Santo Tomas became the second team to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Football Final Four by edging De La Salle Zobel, 2-1, Wednesday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Meanwhile, Far Eastern University-Diliman clinched the top seed for the semifinals with a 3-2 victory over PAREF Southridge School.
The Baby Tamaraws’ win also benefited Ateneo de Manila University, allowing the Blue Eagles to reclaim the fourth spot following their 2-0 shutout of Claret School of Quezon City earlier in the day.
With only one matchday remaining in the eliminations, FEU-D and UST continue to lead the standings with 28 and 26 points, respectively, while La Salle is locked into third place with 20 points.
Ateneo and Southridge will face off this Saturday for the last Final Four berth. The Blue Eagles currently hold the advantage with 16 points, while the Admirals remain in contention in fifth place with 14 points.
If Southridge fails to defeat La Salle in the 2 p.m. kickoff, Ateneo’s entry into the Final Four will be guaranteed regardless of its result against UST in the 4:30 p.m. match. However, a win for the Admirals would require the Blue Eagles to also secure three points against the defending champions to advance.
Adamson (6 points) and Claret (3 points) round out the standings in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Junior Golden Booters midfielder Joshua Moleje played a key role in ensuring UST claimed the second seed at La Salle’s expense. The Season 87 Best Midfielder provided the assist for Argos Alingalan’s opener in the 26th minute. Alingalan had also scored the lone goal in UST’s 1-0 victory over La Salle back on January 24.
Moleje then scored the winner in the 78th minute after a solo run past the La Salle backline, canceling out Renz Partosa’s equalizer just five minutes earlier.
“Siyempre, hard-fought game,” said UST assistant coach David Basa. “Mahirap talagang kalaban ang La Salle. Buti, nag-create kami ng chances. We took them, so credit to the boys na hindi sila sumuko until the last minute—kahit puro atake ng La Salle yung last minutes.
“Ang sinabi ko lang sa boys ay tandaan nila yung feeling na ito. Yung intensity sa game, paano mag-win ng tackles, paano mag-win ng duels, yung goal—dalhin nila sa next game, dalhin nila sa Final Four, kasi ‘yun yung magdadagdag ng confidence sa kanila.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Even with a twice-to-beat advantage already secured last Saturday, FEU-D played with full intensity in their five-goal thriller against Southridge.
The Baby Tamaraws started slowly and conceded the opening goal in the 22nd minute as Francis Poticano gave the Admirals an early lead. FEU-D responded immediately; Jacob Keleghan equalized just one minute later, and Justin Madeja gave the league leaders their first lead in the 32nd minute.
In the second half, Dionesio Diaz extended FEU-D’s lead in the 59th minute, creating a two-goal cushion. Roman Lorenzo managed a late goal for Southridge in the 90th minute, but the Admirals could not force an equalizer before the final whistle.
For Baby Tamaraws coach Jake Morallo, the win was crucial for building momentum heading into the postseason, especially with last year’s final loss to UST still fresh in memory.
“I think simula pa [nung] magbago ang Season 88, the objective was really not just only the top one — of course, andoon siya — pero yung maibalik yung korona sa FEU,” said Morallo, whose FEU-D also beat Southridge 2-0 last January 31. “Medyo masakit talaga yung naramdaman namin last year.
“We were there, sana. We were hoping na ma-defend yung title na ‘yun, but nakuha ni UST. We learned from that mistake; we learned from that loss. Pero andito pa rin kami, and we’ll try 100% to get back the championship.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Ateneo opened the penultimate triple-header by ending Claret’s campaign with a 2-0 shutout, boosting the Blue Eagles’ hopes for their first Final Four appearance. This victory completed a season double for the Katipunan-based squad, who previously defeated the Red Roosters 4-0 on January 24.
Blue Eagles forward Tiago Remulla provided the assists for both goals, setting up Luis Reyes for a 17th-minute opener before finding Andres Dumlao in the 49th minute. Dumlao’s strike, his sixth of the season, effectively sealed the match.
In Claret’s final appearance of the year, brothers Filmar and Filbert Tacardon tried to pull their team back into contention but could not find the target.
Ateneo coach JP Merida was pleased to see his team regain form after losses to FEU-D and La Salle, though he emphasized that the work isn’t done with one game remaining.
“My main concern coming into this game was how we would bounce back from two straight losses,” said Merida. “After moving from a 5–1 result to this 2–1 win, we’re happy that what we practiced in training translated to the pitch. We got the three points; now we just need to prepare for our final game.”
