By Vince Matthew Jaramilla
Driven by redemption and the weight of being the host school, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Booters prime themselves for University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 as they finished third place in the Tuloy Invitational Cup 2026 last September 13 at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite.
In a post-tournament interview with FEU Advocate, Tamaraw Booters assistant coach Viejay Frigillano mentioned that their initial preseason goal of winning medals expanded to learning and filtering the roster.
“Before the preseason, ‘yung goal namin is to win medals… but the main objective is to learn something kasi malapit na ‘yung Season [89] so kailangan namin i-check ‘yung isa’t isa… Ginamit namin ‘tong preseason para makita namin kung sinong puwedeng isalang sa UAAP (Because Season 89 is near so we need to check each other. We used this preseason to see who can compete in the UAAP),” he said.
The green-and-gold squad finished the group stage as the second seed in Group A, falling only to Tuloy Football Club. They then advanced to the semifinals via a default win against Ateneo de Manila University in the quarterfinals.
However, FEU dropped into the battle for third after narrowly losing in a penalty shootout against De La Salle University in the semifinals, 2(2)-2(4).
Mounting their rematch for a podium finish with San Beda University after a 6-1 victory in the group stage, the Tamaraw Booters struggled to separate early from the Red Booters, settling for a 1-1 deadlock in the first half.
With the match neck-and-neck and headed for extra time, substitute forward Karl Absalon found the back of the net in the 81st minute to take the late lead.
The remaining time, including three added minutes, was just enough for the Morayta-based squad to hold on and lock down the bronze finish, 2-1.
In a separate interview, winning goalscorer Absalon reflected on their preparation through the preseason, highlighting their desire to become the UAAP champions once again.
“Kung ano man ‘yung mga kulang o mga mistake sa tournament na ‘to is kailangan namin i-improve and prepare para ready kami lahat. Gigil din kami na mabawi ‘yung gold sa Season 89 (Whatever our weaknesses or mistakes are, we need to improve and prepare so all of us can be ready. We are also itching to take the gold back in Season 89),” the team co-captain stated.
Meanwhile, Frigillano emphasized remaining humble as one of the team’s objectives despite being the host school.
“Host ‘yung FEU ngayon [pero] medyo hindi naman siya nakakaapekto (FEU is the current host but it doesn’t affect us that much)... We need to go for objective[s] lang throughout the season. Siguro maging humble lang (Maybe just be humble) — humble in defeat, humble in victory. We will go back [in] Season 89 and we will do it again,” the former Tamaraw Booter and UAAP Best Defender shared.
FEU is expected to kick off their UAAP campaign to reclaim the men’s football tournament crown in October.
(Photo courtesy of Tuloy Invitational Cup)