MEMBERS of the University of San Jose-Recoletos Boys 18 team can now heave a sigh of relief after getting the go signal to compete in the semifinal round of the AboitizLand Football Cup on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 at the Cebu City Sports Center.

School officials earlier ordered its teams to withdraw from competitions owing to the coronavirus threat but coach Rommel Ramirez of the Boys 18 team was able to convince their officials to let them compete.

USJ-R, the only undefeated team in the Division, is a favorite to win the title and will face Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in the semifinal round. The other semifinals will pit Don Bosco Technical Center (DBTC) A against KNF-Don Bosco Boys Home (KNF-DBBH).

In the Boys 16 Division, Group B No. 1 Ateneo will face Group B No. 2 KNF-DBBH in the first semifinal match of the day with the odds tipped slightly in the Ateneans favor. Ateneo swept all its five matches, with its last game a 4-0 rout of DBTC C , thanks to the four-goal romp of Christopher Ozawa. On the other hand, KNF-DBBH won its first four matches before losing the battle for the top spot in Group A to DBTC A on Feb. 16.

DBTC A, which won all five matches, will face Group B No. 2 Abellana National School in the other Boys 16 semifinal and is hoping to ride on its momentum of its 2-0 win over KNF-DBBH last week. On the other hand, ANS is hoping to shrug off its ring rust after not seeing action in two weeks.

On Sunday, action in the men’s Division 1 resumes with Leylam FC taking on University of Cebu-Kajitech, Don Sacredale facing Erco-Bro and Makoto FC taking on USJ-R. (ML WITH PR )