RIVALS Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) moved a step closer to a championship showdown after winning their first game in the second round of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. at the Cebu City Sports Center on Oct. 12, 2019.

DBTC needed a last-minute goal from Josh Asignar to beat the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department (USC-BED), while a strong first half propelled USJ-R over Sisters of Mary School-Boystown, 3-1.

USJ-R, which lost the title last year to Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, now has 13 points after winning four of its five matches, while DBTC is second at 10 points. USC-BED, which was tied for second going into the DBTC match, dropped to third at seven points.

Asignar gave the Bosconians the lead in the 21st before Christopher Diola got the equalizer. However, the wily Asignar sealed the win with a 90th minute goal.

In the first game, Christian Agot and Louis Manlosa gave USJ-R a 2-0 lead in the first half before Dustin Ramirez made it 3-0 just two minutes after the break. Kurt Catedral scored the lone goal for Boystown in the 81st. Though it still lost, the 3-1 scoreline was an improvement on SMS’s 8-0 loss to USJ-R in the first round.

On Oct. 13, USC-BED will try to get its finals hope back on track as it takes on USJ-R, while DBTC will face defending champion Ateneo in the second game. In the college division, USJ-R will face the University of Cebu, while USC will take on the University of Southern Philippines Foundation. (ML)