Reporting note: this article draws on tiebreakertimes.com.ph; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
UST UAAP fourth place
Jan Baito scored twice, the second a free kick in the 90+2 minute, as University of Santo Tomas edged a 10-man Far Eastern University 3-2 on Thursday night at the UP Football Stadium. The result gives UST sole hold of UST UAAP fourth place in the Season 89 men's football tournament and extends FEU's winless run to four matches.
UST now sits on nine points with a +4 goal difference, five points clear of fifth-placed FEU. The Tamaraws remain ahead of the teams chasing beneath them, and their +6 goal difference is the better of the two sides, but the gap on points is what separates fourth from fifth.
Baito's brace and the set-piece work
Trez Mariñas opened the scoring three minutes into the match from a set piece, his second goal of the season. Baito doubled the lead in the 11th minute, capitalising on goalkeeper Lance Sanchez being caught out of position.
Coach Marjo Allado credited his staff for the preparation that produced the dead-ball goals. "Good job to Coach Bok (Carlos Santiago) and Coach Biboy (Esteban) for preparing the game, especially on free kicks, because that rarely happens for us," he said.
Allado was less satisfied with how his side handled the lead. "We started the game strong. We defended well and then scored. We became complacent instead of defending, we committed and they scored. Early in the second half, it was scary because they scored early, then a lot of chances."
The winner itself came from a free kick, the routine Allado had singled out as an uncommon source of goals for the Golden Booters.
FEU's red card and the ten-man reply
Theo Libarnes pulled one back in the 43rd minute, his third goal of the tournament, handing the Tamaraws a lifeline before the interval. That lifeline thinned almost immediately: Francis Sambaan collected his second yellow card of the match just before the break, leaving FEU with ten men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, FEU drew level three minutes into the second half when Karl Absalon tapped home his third goal of the season. The equaliser spoiled the return of Selwyn Mamon, one of the Tamaraws' leading goalscorers, who had missed the previous two matches.
Allado acknowledged his side had leaned on the extra man. "We tried to take advantage of FEU's red card and we scored in the last few minutes. Congrats to the boys because we won."
Standings picture and the first-round finale
The three points matter more than the performance for UST, which needed a result to avoid sharing fourth with the team it beat. FEU's problem is now arithmetic as much as form: a five-point deficit with the first round closing is a harder thing to close than a goal-difference column.
Allado was direct about the approach for the last fixture of the round. "We're aiming to win the last match. We're not thinking about the standings anymore. The win is what's important. We have to step up more. We'll fix the game plan against La Salle and hopefully we win."
UST closes out its first-round campaign against La Salle at 7 p.m. on Sunday. FEU will look to snap its winless run against Ateneo at 4:30 p.m. on the same day.
The original report was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
