Upon return to familiar ground, a welcoming present of a tight 1-0 finish was gifted by the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, maintaining a clean record in their match on Thursday, Oct. 9, against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in UAAP Season 88.
The homecoming win didn’t come easy for the Men’s Football Team (MFT) amidst sudden changes in the roster, with multiple members of the squad being down due to sickness.
“We had to adjust, because first of all, yung mga players namin had the flu so the original lineup was changed kanina lang [before the game],” said Assistant Coach Ojay Clarino.
The Diliman-based squad had to tweak its Starting XI against its San Marcelino counterparts, notably benching mainstay Cian Galsim as one of the recovering Maroons.
Despite the setback, Clarino commended the team’s resilience and performance to fend off the relentless Adamson side. “I still think that the boys were disciplined enough to still be able to hold onto the lead,” he said.
UP broke through the tough Adamson defensive wall courtesy of brothers Jian and Adri Caraig at the 35th minute, with a solid cross from Jian at the flanks setting up his sibling for a strike that slipped from the keeper’s fingers and neatly into the left corner.
State U’s backline led by captain Charles Lobitaña held the fort in the majority of the second half, thwarting Adamson’s advances and limiting the Falcons to three shot attempts for the whole 90 minutes.
Goalkeeper Fonzy Gonzalez stepped up in the closing moments, registering two crucial saves during stoppage time to seal away the win.
In addition to their roster woes, the Maroons had to navigate their preparations coming off an underwhelming 0-0 draw against De La Salle University last Oct. 2 in the absence of head coach Popoy Clarino.
The UP tactician was on duty as an assistant coach for the National Men’s Football Team in its 4-1 triumph over Timor-Leste in Australia.
“We tried to figure out our ways with our other coach and our seniors on how we can adjust and fix our mistakes in the La Salle game,” said Gonzalez.
But amidst all the pressure, State U remained focused on one thing: delivering in front of its home crowd.
“I just told them don’t let any team beat you on your home field,” said Clarino. “It’s an additional boost for the boys to be here with their family [and] the whole UP community.”
The exact jolt of energy was echoed by the players’ efforts, who fed off the crowd’s presence to defend their turf.
“Speaking for the whole team, it’s [a] really, very good feeling and I think it’s very good for our confidence knowing that we’re playing on our home field,” Gonzalez noted.
The third-year standout added that while some of the rookies are still adjusting to the pitch due to multiple games played out in Vermosa, he hopes the win could help them maintain their winning ways to pay back the support from the UP crowd.
With this victory, the Fighting Maroons tightened their grip on the league’s top seed with 10 points and a +4 Goal Difference (GD), widening the gap with the Ateneo Blue Eagles and Far Eastern University Tamaraws, who both sit in second with seven points and a +3 GD.
As the first round winds down, UP now sets its sights on toppling another contender — last season’s finalists Ateneo.
“It will be a great game,” said Clarino. “[I’m] 100% [sure] it will be a good game and, at the same time, Coach Popoy will be here for that.”
With twice-to-beat implications at play, Gonzalez realized what fuels them heading into the matchup is “how much we want that first seed.”
The Battle of Katipunan closes off tomorrow’s double-header at 6:30 p.m. in the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
