University of Santo Tomas moved one step closer to a successful title defense on Saturday, but its opponent in the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Football Final has yet to be determined.
The defending champions secured their spot in the final with a 2-1 victory over De La Salle Zobel at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
While the Junior Golden Booters have punched their ticket, their challenger for the April 10 showdown remains undecided.
In a stunning turn of events, PAREF Southridge upset top-seeded Far Eastern University-Diliman 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 deadlock through extra time, forcing a do-or-die playoff this Wednesday for the final spot in the championship match.
Admirals winger Francis Poticano gave the Muntinlupa school a dream start, firing home the opener in the 19th minute.
However, the Baby Tamaraws managed to equalize late in the match, as substitute James Torres’ thunderous strike in the 79th minute brought things level.
With neither team finding the net in the remaining minutes of normal time or extra time, the match moved to a penalty shootout, with Southridge kicking first.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Although the Admirals got off to a shaky start when their first kicker, Carlito Vergara, saw his attempt saved by Baby Tamaraws goalkeeper Linjhun Delubio, they quickly found their rhythm with successful strikes from Leonardo Garcia, Zachary Panlilio, and Poticano.
Southridge then gained momentum during the middle rounds.
After Jacob Keleghan converted FEU-D’s opener, Edgar Renopal sent his effort wide, leveling the score at 1-1.
The defining moment came when FEU-D’s Jumong Amita aimed for the bottom corner, only for Southridge goalkeeper Reign Deomampo to produce a crucial save that preserved a 3-2 lead for the Admirals.
With the pressure mounting, Jaesung Kim calmly slotted home the final penalty, sealing a 4-2 shootout victory and a stunning upset for Southridge.
“First of all, I would say a very big thank you to God for granting us this victory,” said the Admirals’ Ghanaian coach Sam Bonney. “It was amazing. We really trained and planned very well for this game. I believe in my boys. We respect FEU very well, but when it comes to the game, this was our fourth time playing them.
“We played them in the Palarong Pambansa, we played them twice in the eliminations, and today was the fourth one. I really found a strategy to beat them, and that’s what we did today.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The day’s action opened with UST, which completed a season sweep of DLSZ, adding a 2-1 victory to its previous 1-0 and 2-1 elimination-round wins on January 24 and March 18.
This result also marked the second consecutive season that the Junior Golden Booters eliminated the Junior Green Booters in the Final Four and secured a third consecutive championship appearance, giving them a chance to claim back-to-back titles for the first time.
Midfielder Joshua Moleje gave UST a dream start, drawing first blood in the 30th minute.
La Salle responded almost immediately, as Iñigo Ramirez leveled the match in the 34th minute with a clinical right-footed strike from the left side of the box.
UST regained control in the second half and never looked back.
In the 57th minute, Roy Panunciar Jr. unleashed a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar and into the net to retake the lead.
The goal proved to be a crushing blow for the Junior Green Booters, especially after Jayden Gayoso had narrowly missed a prime opportunity to score minutes earlier.
Late in the match, Panunciar and substitute Earl Bahan both had chances to double the cushion, but their attempts whistled narrowly wide as UST secured its return to the final.
“Masaya, kasi nakita ko yung boys na gusto manalo,” said UST assistant coach David Basa. “First half, medyo yung intensity mababa, so kinausap namin sila nung halftime na dapat kailangan ipakita niyo na gusto niyo manalo. Ipakita niyo yung effort na yung mga trainings na ginawa natin, hindi masayang. So, yung effort lang ang kulang; kailangan nilang mag-push pa.
“Second half, okay naman. Nag-respond sila nang maayos, especially noong nilagay namin yung mga game-changer substitutions namin. Nag-create talaga ng spark sa boys.”
