Far Eastern University (FEU) Booters remained unwavered on both ends of the field to achieve the win against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 4-0, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men’s football tourney held earlier today, April 11, at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Field in Quezon City.

The match saw a sluggish start as both squads played lockdown defense, preventing each other from pulling away despite multiple offensive plays.

With the scoreboard still reading nil-nil at the 38-minute mark, green-and-gold forward Karl Absalon showcased his offensive talent to lead a coordinated attack to finally break down Adamson's defense and put the Tamaraw Booters up by one.

Another push came out from the Morayta-based squad at the first minute of extra time which led to another successful strike by Absalon to close the first half at 2-0.

In a post-game interview with FEU Advocate, Absalon shared his thoughts on the impact of his brace on their morale despite their slow start.

"Sa performance namin [sa] first half, mababa eh, parang nagmamadali kami. Simula nung naka-score ako, do'n na talaga nakuha 'yung morale namin para ma-continue 'yung sunod-sunod na score (In terms of our performance in the first half, it was low and it felt like we were rushing. When I finally got to score, that's when we got our morale to continue the consecutives scores)," he said.

Coming into the second half, the green-and-gold squad remained hot on offense, leading to an Andre Yu goal at the 52nd minute.

Even with the separation, the Morayta-based squad continued to pressure the San Marcelino-based squad's goal.

The Tamaraws' relentlessness proved to be effective as they recorded another goal during the 69-minute mark, courtesy of Sherwin Basindanan.

Each squad received multiple oppotunities to score more but the defensive execution of both sides remained tight, ending the game with a win for FEU.

With their seventh straight victory, head coach Alberto Besa expressed the importance of keeping their confidence in check moving forward.

"It's up there, but one thing I make sure to do is to not let it get to their head, to not be overconfident, and [to not] underestimate any opponent. We treat each game like it's the same opponent. We go out with our best effort, not relax, and give it 120%," he stated.

The Besa-led booters remain strong at the top of the standings with a 7-0-1 win-draw-loss card and will continue their second round campaign against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Booters on Sunday, April 14, at the same venue. 

-Vince Matthew Jaramilla

(Photo courtesy of Ralph Mari Castro/FEU Advocate)