UE, La Salle have edge in UAAP football finals

University of the East beat De La Salle, 3-1, Sunday to move close to ending more than three decades of a men’s football title drought in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

The Red Booters, tailenders last season but surprise finalists this year, topped the double-round eliminations with five wins, one loss and four draws, a record that gave them a twice-to-beat edge over defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) in the finals.

De La Salle, on the other hand, was held to a scoreless draw by University of Santo Tomas (UST) also Sunday, thus earning the same twice-to-beat advantage also over UST in the battle for the women’s crown.

The Lady Archers topped the women’s eliminations with a 6-2-0 win-draw-loss record and moved on the verge of bettering their runnerup finish last season. The UST women booked a 5-2-1 record to make the championship.

UP, the defending men’s champion, advanced to the finals following a 2-1 whipping of Ateneo at the close of the football eliminations at the Blue Eagles’ Katipunan field also Sunday. The Maroons ran second behind the Red Booters with a 5-2-3 record.

"Making the finals is already an achievement for us considering that I have eight rookies on the team and we were sixth [and last] last season," said UE coach Lloyd Lim. "But we will surely go for the title this Sunday."

The men’s final is set for 3 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 23) also at the Ateneo field. De La Salle and UST, meanwhile, take the field at 1 p.m.

"But we have to prepare hard for UP because [they] are the defending champions," added Lim.

UE plays the Maroons sans Sunday’s hero, Rolly Perez. Perez nailed the marginal goal in the 81st minute but with two yellow cards, he would be serving a game’s suspension, which, unfortunately for UE, would be the match that could give the school its first UAAP men’s football crown, and the third overall for the Red Booters, since the 1969 season.

"It will be very tough against the Maroons indeed," explained Lim, who, however, could heave some relief if his other reliables, including Rowell Sariego who broke the ice against De La Salle in the 34th minute, would deliver.

Vincent Roy Leobrera provided some semblance of resistance for the Archers with his 40th-minute goal, but UE, whose most illustrious accomplishment in UAAP men‚s football was its back-to-back conquest in 1961-62, levelled just eight minutes later on Mark Andrew Madrona.

-The Maroons, on the other hand, walked the right rope against the Eagles. They trailed by a goal, courtesy of Ariston Boncalan in the 37th, after the first half and only recovered on consecutive goals by tournament goal leader Oscar Mejia in the 61st and 66 minutes.