UST booters blank Ateneo, clinch finals seat

University of Santo Tomas made its return to the finals after beating Ateneo, 3-0, in the 72nd UAAP men’s football tournament at the Ateneo field. The Tigers improved to 20 points as they remained unbeaten with six wins and two draws, nailing the first seat in the championship in the process. Christian de Juan scored the early goal in the eighth minute before Mario Clarino and Mandie Lunag converted in the 68th and 72nd minutes for UST, which made its first finals appearance since winning the title in 2007.

The Tigers also slammed the door on the fourth-running Blue Eagles, who with 12 points (4-4-0 win-loss-draw) could no longer catch up with their two other rivals – La Salle and Far Eastern U - for the second finals slot. The Green Archers beat the second-running Tamaraws in the other game, 1-0, to stay in contention for the berth against the Tigers. Nico Laluces notched the game’s only goal in the 63rd minute as the Green Archers upped their mark to 13 points on four wins, three losses and one draw. The Tamaraws remained in second spot with 16 points on five wins, two losses and two draws but the Green Archers have closed the gap with the win. Meanwhile, the match between University of the Philippines (UP) and University of the East (UE) ended in a scoreless draw. UE stood at fifth place with seven points on two wins, five losses and one draw while UP remained at the cellar with one point on one draw and seven defeats. UP has forfeited its games after the league discovered that two of its players, Ayi Aryee and Nat De Guzman, were ineligible to play because they are also participating in the United Football League (UFL). League rules state that a player is not allowed to join in another league that coincides with the tournament. – GMANews.TV