FOOTBALL, beautiful as it is, sometimes is a cruel sport. That’s what Paref-Springdale learned last Sunday when it lost for the second straight year, via penalty shootout, to Don Bosco Technological Center.
It should have been Paref-Springdale’s turn, even coach Glen Ramos was gracious enough to admit that. Most of the players were the same ones who lost in last year’s final, while Glen’s team were mostly a year or two short of the age of the limit.
The game, too, was mostly Springdale’s. There was one lovely build-up from over the half-court line, that after only four passes, resulted into a sublime cross and an open header that hit the side netting. For me, that was the best sequence I’ve seen all match long.
Yes, Don Bosco had its moments too, but they were mostly back-pedaling and I really thought that somehow Paref would spring one goal in overtime. That the Titans didn’t manage to do also show the quality of Glen’s team.
At the end of regulation, coach Glen was ready to pick his five kickers, expecting a straight shootout, while coach Mario was preparing for the extension. I thought that was curious and showed that perhaps DBTC wasn’t as well conditioned as Springdale. So, I felt safe with my earlier call for a Springdale victory.
But, though they controlled the play, they failed to score and was even lucky not to concede a late goal. A last gasp header from Miguel Mercader, with only seconds left, could have changed the outcome but it was cleared by Springdale defender, sending the match to a shootout.
During last year’s shootout, Springdale was already out after just three kickers but yesterday, the outcome wasn’t still sure three kickers in. However, in any shootout, one--no matter how skilled--has to lose. And it was Springdale’s turn again.
Gabgab Villacin played a brilliant match. Though there were tense moments when his presence of mind was in doubt, he had three or four brilliant saves that erased on all doubts.
That was all forgotten when DBTC keeper JK Ceniza guessed right on Jon Young’s kick, and Agustin Roa--after a yellow card--nailed the clincher. Don Bosco was out celebrating, again, and Springdale was left to rue the “what-ifs,” again.
But I hope the players paid attention to what coach Mario Ceniza said at the end of the extension period. Yes, I was eavesdropping because I thought they would win and whatever was said could be used in a story. That’s what I did when I stayed near the University of Cebu during the Cesafi college finals shootout.
“You played excellent football for over 100 minutes,” Coach Mario said. “There’s nothing to be disappointed about. It’s a shootout, anything can happen.”
COMMENDABLE ATTITUDE. By the way, tough and physically taxing as the finals was, it was a clean match. Heck, I think there was more tension in the stands between fans than between players.
Both sets of fans were seated near each other, and there was only one instance of jeering I saw, when a giddy Springdale supporter thought it was a goal and kept on dancing while looking at DBTC’s way. I was so nearly tempted to tell him off, “Hey, it’s not a goal!” but teens need to be teens, sometimes.
Other than that, both group of supporters were well behaved, a testament to both schools’ conduct both off and on the court. With the number of times these two squads have met in the finals, from when they were young as six up to now, they might as well be close buddies.
(www.mikelimpagblog.wordpress.com)