Even the frontrunners stumble sometimes.
Fresh off of a dramatic 2-1 win against University of Santo Tomas (UST), the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Football Team (MFT) was brought back down to earth in the last game of the elimination round as it yielded 1-2 to a De La Salle University (DLSU) team in do-or-die mode Thursday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Maroons grounded
The Fighting Maroons entered the match riding the crest of a wave that showed no signs of slowing down, leading the league without a single loss. With one eye on the game and another on the semis, MFT coach Popoy Clarino benched keeper Fonzy Gonzalez as well as defensive standouts Josh Meriño and Jian Caraig.
The Taft-based squad pressed from the opening whistle, with a win being its only chance at making the Final Four. The Green Booters found the breakthrough 17 minutes in, as Bacchus Ekberg’s floated free kick landed on the head of in-form striker John Gaverza, who nodded it past Eric Cachuela and into the UP net.
UP was too stunned to respond, and La Salle continued to turn the screw. With five minutes to go before half time, a cross fired from the left caught the Maroon defense sleeping and Gaverza scored his second after looping the ball over a hapless Cachuela.
Backed by a noisy home crowd, State U came into the second half swinging. Set pieces had been the Maroons’ bread and butter all season and the Diliman-based squad got one goal back, as winger Ramil Bation’s corner looped over everyone before nestling in the back of the net.
Now in the ascendancy, UP found themselves facing a brick wall in DLSU keeper Jason Salavante. Maroon skipper Charles Lobitaña unleashed a rocket from way out that crashed off the goal frame, with Bation missing the rebound.
The Maroons grew more and more frustrated as the match wound down, with any attempt at building up momentum halted by fouls and injuries.
Moments and momentum
Despite the loss, UP finished the season with a league-leading 29 points, the highest total of any team in eight years. But the match marked the end of an 11-game unbeaten run that started in September 2025, a result that frustrated head coach Popoy Clarino.
“La Salle came in guns blazing. Congratulations to them for the win,” said the gaffer in a post-match interview with Tinig ng Plaridel. “We were simply caught off guard.”
The game was an unusual low in a season littered with many highs for the Diliman-based squad, which entered the season in September seeking to reclaim the UAAP title and whose squad was bannered by rookies and youth internationals Caraig and Meriño.
“It’s been a long season. We started in September, it’s January now and we’re still playing, so it’s good for our rookies to step up. We try to incorporate them in everything that we do because we like the longevity of it [the season],” said Clarino.
Sidelined for several months due to injuries and national team duty, Meriño finally made his debut in the second round opener against University of the East (UE), where UP MFT registered a dominant 5-0 win.
State U’s second game was a much closer affair. After being deadlocked for 85 minutes in a heated Katipunan derby with rivals Ateneo, UP found its hero in Florenz Tacardon, who headed in a cross from rookie winger Ken Saludez to give the MFT a vital 1-0 win.
Even after a long Christmas break, the Maroons remained Midas-touched. They rang in the new year with a 1-0 victory over defending champions Far Eastern University (FEU), with Lorenz Tortona continuing the winning streak.
After a tense scoreless draw with Adamson, UP’s affinity for late drama resurfaced against UST. In a deadlock with seconds left on the clock, a Caraig long throw caused a goalmouth scramble, opening a window for forward Shan Lorque to prod the ball home to give UP another dramatic win.
But there was no golden moment against the green shirts. After a season-long unbeaten run, UP had fallen at the final hurdle. Clarino, however, has all eyes on the next fork in the road and a very familiar opponent.
“We want to match [La Salle’s] intensity. We want to go out and make sure that we cover every small detail.”
With their unbeaten streak gone but their spirits still intact, the Fighting Maroons will look for sweet revenge as they face the Green Booters once more in the semifinals, this time with a twice-to-beat advantage.
“It’s going to be a very good [semi-final],” said Clarino, brimming with anticipation. UP will take on La Salle once more on Feb. 8 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.
