DESPITE an erratic and shaky first game, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu stood a head above the rest after the first round of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. high school football tournament at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Ateneo, a five-time champion which finished runner-up to Don Bosco Technological Center last season, reminded a revampled University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department (USC-BED) of the Cesafi pecking order with a 2-0 win, thanks to the brilliance of Leo Maquiling. In the first game, a re-tooled University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) needed a last-gasp goal to salvage a point against the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF.)
“We are still very erratic and shaky. It’s the first game so it’s normal for the players to be rusty,” SHS-Ateneo coach Bingbing Colina told Sunstar Cebu in Cebuano. “Hopefuly, we can recover in the next three games.”
After a scoreless first half, Leo Maquiling took advantage of a miscue early in the second to give Ateneo the lead; a mis-timed header sent the ball to Maquiling inside the box, and the national youth team veteran half-volleyed the ball past the keeper.
But minutes later, it was Ateneo that had to back-pedal for most of the match and thanks to keeper Miguel Calang’s heroics, the Eagles kept the lead. Miguel Canoy’s soft attempt off a corner went straight to Calang, who was forced to make another save from a Joey Kapili header.
Christian Lumapas could have doubled the lead for Ateneo on the other end after winning the ball inside the USC box, but his soft effort was easily saved.
“Maquiling isn’t still at his 100 percent level, that’s why I keep on pushing him since he is the veteran and the most matured among the players. It’s a good thing that he recovered in the second half,” said Colina.
Maquiling got his second goal from the spot kick, thanks to Nelson Villaber. After winning the ball in the midfield, Ateneo found an open Villaber on the left flank, with only one defender to beat, a quick pivot sent USC team captain Ethan Mendoza the wrong way but he brought Villaber down with him, forcing the referee to quickly point to the penalty.
Maquiling stepped and easily made it 2-0 despite keeper Johnreil Eldian guessing the right way.
Meanwhile in the first game, Dave Arriza gave USPF the lead in the 50th minute before Dustin Ramirez cancelled it out with a 90th-minute strike for USJ-R’s first point in the Cesafi in years. MTL