DEFENDING champion Ateneo de Davao University (Addu) secondary boys football team retained its title in the just-concluded Dacs Sportsfest 2019 football competition at Tionko field along Quimpo Boulevard in Davao City.
The Ivan Caiña-coached Addu Blue Knights overcame University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC), 5-3, in their secondary boys football championship match via penalty shootout early Thursday evening, September 5. The title was his second for the team.
Both teams forced a 2-all deadlock at the end of regulation. Blue Knights Naz Pascual and Jasper Rex Lim hit goals in the 21st and 28th minutes, respectively.
Coach Caiña, in a phone interview with SunStar Davao yesterday, said, “To be honest, sa penalty shootout we were at a disadvantage because our goalie Zane Garfin was sick since semifinals and wasn’t able to play.”
Thus, team captain Gabriel Cuevas substituted for him. Ateneo, according to Caiña, was just fortunate that three UIC kickers went off target. Vianney Lagundi and Psalm Loquero scored for Ateneo in the shootout.
He also said UIC has an edge in physicality as few of its players were born in 2001. “We were able to hold them off kahit una silang nag-score. Nag-error lang kami last five minutes of the game.”
The tournament manager opted to go with a penalty shootout instead of a 20-minute extension in the game. But the Blue Knights were confident that they would have still emerged champion even if they continued playing the extra time.
Ateneo blanked Holy Cross of Babak, 5-0, in the semifinals behind the goals of Lim, Rhianne Mendoza, VJ Lagundi and Cuevas.
The proud coach lauded the Blue Knights but challenged them as well, saying, “Keep on working hard if we want to win in Dcaa.”
A tryout will be scheduled for UIC and St. Paul College of Davao players to form the DCAA-bound squad. But it’s not a guarantee, he said, that they would get slots.
He also urged the Blue Knights to earn their slots in the DCAA team.
“It is my duty as a coach once we progress to a higher level to pick up the best players to represent not Ateneo anymore but Unit 6,” he said, adding that they wish to defend their DCAA title.