A VICTORY would have assured them an all-important twice-to-beat advantage in the finals. Instead, the UST Growling Booters squan-dered an early lead and lost focus in the crucial stages of the game to lose, 2-1, to defending champion Univer-sity of the Philippines (UP) last Feb.13 at the Ateneo Field.
Already assured of a championship duel with UP, the Growling Booters started the game red-hot as midfielder Rodney Leyble punctured the UP defense with a goal in the 44th minute.
However, the defending champions evened up matters as UP stalwart Paolo Misa eluded the tough defense of UST goalie Eric Legaspi to score on a powerful kick attempt in the 55th minute.
Eager to avert another loss to their bitter rivals, the Growling Booters clamped down on their defense to prevent another goal attempt by Misa in the 73rd minute.
However, a lapse in the UST defense was all it took for UP to win the game as Maroon Booter Atlas Alvarez made mincemeat of Legaspi’s defense to score the victory goal in the 87th minute.
In their previous game, the UST Growling Booters pounced on an erratic University of the East (UE) squad to score an easy 6-0 rout last Feb.7 at the Ateneo Field.
The España-based Booters started the match on a rampage, as Tiger Booter Froilan Ambrocio scored on a goal in the first minute of the game.
Sensing that the UE defense was weak on the wing side, Ambrocio again attacked the defense and fired another powerful goal in the 20th minute.
The UE defense was in complete disarray at this point as the Growling Booters ran the Red Booters to the ground with their vaunted running attack.
UST’s Antonni Cesar Tano padded the lead to 3-0 after his goal attempt hit paydirt in the 25th minute.
The fleet-footed Tano once more attacked the vulnerable defense of their Recto-based rivals and scored another goal in the 38th minute as UST ended the first half with an imposing 4-0 advantage.
In the second half, the UST juggernaut continued as Growling Booter Roevans Batobalani mercilessly punished his UE defenders with a goal in the 59th minute.
Leading Growling Booter goal maker Rodney Leyble put the finishing touches in the rout as his goal attempt in the 77th minute secured the victory for UST.
Meanwhile, with a mad scramble to secure a finals seat in full swing, the UST Growling Booters displayed tenacity and composure in both ends of the court to beat the Far Eastern University (FEU) Booters, 4-3, last Feb. 3 at the Ateneo Field.
Despite an early goal by FEU, courtesy of Tamaraw midfielder Matthew Virtucio in the fourth minute, the Growling Booters never gave up and responded with goals of their own to claim the victory and to inch closer to the finals.
UST stalwart Antonni Cesar Tano got his team’s offense on track as he drilled a goal straight into the FEU defense on the 19th minute.
The Morayta-based Booters then pulled abreast UST, as Tamaraw striker Rufino Almodal’s goal attempt hit paydirt on the 41st minute.
Unwilling to end the half with a deficit, the España-based Booters tied the count at 2-all, as UST forward Tano eluded his defenders for a successful goal attempt just before lemon time.
In the second half, the Growling Booters lowered the boom early on, as reliable midfielder Rodney Leyble broke free from a phalanx of FEU defenders to score in the 54th minute.
Like a shark hungry for flesh, the Growling Booters went for the prey, as UST forward Froilan Ambrocio showed no respect for FEU goalie Marc Wresnig’s defense and scored an exciting goal on the 70th minute.
Despite the UST rampage, the Tamaraws were undaunted, with Almodal defying the outstretched arms of UST goalie Eric Legaspi, and scoring an unlikely goal in the 83rd minute to trim the Booters’ lead to 4-3.
However, it was the closest FEU could get to the UAAP 2000 champions as the Growling Booters buckled down to work in the defensive end and repulsed the goal attempts of the Tamaraws in the final seven minutes of the game. Darrell I. Dizon
