Slowly but surely, Adamson University is finally getting its groove in the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Football Tournament.
The Soaring Falcons got their first point in the campaign courtesy of a 0-0 stalemate against Far Eastern University in their second round opener last Sunday at the UP Diliman Football Field.
During the match, Adamson stood toe-to-toe with FEU, which beat the San Marcelino school 6-1 in the first round. The Soaring Falcons could have even snatched all three points but Carl Franz Mahinay’s attempt was denied by the crossbar deep in the second half.
Nevertheless, the draw still felt like a victory for Adamson. The Soaring Falcons’ recent performances have shown great promise as they suffered narrow one-goal defeats to Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas at the end of the first round.
“Tiwala lang talaga sa kasama tsaka yung tinuturo ko sa kanila talagang ina-adapt nila. Sabi ko nga sa mga bata na kung magkamali isang teammate natin, saluhan (at) walang sisihan. Saluhan lang sa laro,” said Adamson head coach Jeffrey Orada.
“Sabi ko sa mga bata na laruin kung ano yung laro talaga nila.”
A key performer for the Soaring Falcons against the Tamaraws was goalkeeper Zacchaeus Suarez.
The BS Accountancy student held his defense well throughout the game and performed key stops to keep his team in the contest.
The 22-year-old stopper’s saves against the likes of Gio Pabualan and Stephen Soria in the second half were very impressive. Without them, FEU would have secured all three points and Adamson would have gone home with another defeat.
“Mas magandang result siya kumpara sa first round namin. It’s a start.
“At least we have the spirit of always trying to win and never giving up. There are things to look at in our team. We have strengths and especially weaknesses. We just have to work on them,” said Suarez.
“Sa buong team namin, sinisigurado namin na kinakausap namin lagi yung isa’t-isa. Yung attitude lang as a Vincentian. As a player, siyempre makikinig kami sa coach namin. We will give our full trust to our coaches and especially to ourselves as a team,” he added.
Up next for Adamson is another stern test in the shape of Ateneo this Thursday. The Blue Eagles needed a stoppage-time goal to overcome the Soaring Falcons and another dramatic finale is possible when both sides face each other again.
Suarez and his teammates, though, will be heading into the game with more confidence. Fans can expect Adamson to be tougher to beat this time around.
“Paghahandaan namin yan. Di naman sa pagbubuhat ng bangko. Ready ang mga bata sa kung anoman mangyari,” said Orada.
