AFTER its 1-3 defeat against Davao Aguilas FC in opening day, Ceres Negros FC suffered its second loss in the ongoing Copa Paulino Alcantara after Stallion Laguna FC blanked the Busmen 3-nil over the weekend at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Jess Mellizza scored a brace while Ruben Doctora Jr. added a goal for Laguna.
Stallion put up solid defensive stops at the start, denying the Ceres goal chances while playing aggressive football and challenging Roland Muller goalkeeping skills.
Stallions’ relentless attacks, especially on breaks, forced Muller two huge saves but Doctora found the back of the net in the 24th minute off a rebound.
The Busmen had their chance when Blake Powell avoided Stallion defense inside the box but Korean reinforcement Ko Kyunjoon chased the Aussie for the last second tackle.
Stallion made it 2-nil just minutes before halftime when Yannick Tuazon broke Ceres FC backline defense to send a perfect pass to Melliza.
Laguna did not waste time as Melliza scored his team’s third goal off a pass from Fitch Arboleda on the counter.
With the loss, Ceres FC is in the bottom of Group A with two defeats as it tries to bounce back on Wednesday on a rematch with Stallion at 7 p.m. at Rizal Memorial Stadium.