THE SAN BEDA Red Booters continued their dominant streak, outplaying the Mapúa University (MU) Booters, 7-0, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 Men’s Football Tournament at the University of Makati (UMak) Stadium on Wednesday, March 26.
Fresh off a commanding 5-0 triumph against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) Men’s Football Team, the Red Booters carried their winning form, delivering a more relentless performance against Mapúa to surge at the top of the elimination table with two wins.
The match saw the Red Booters dictate the tempo early on, but as Team Manager Coach Nhiboy Pedimonte noted, the Red Booters struggled to find their rhythm in the opening quarter-hour.
“I think we lacked tempo doon sa first 15 minutes. That’s not the intensity we were expecting our players to perform,” he admitted.
However, the opening breakthrough came when midfielder Sylver Edzon Pormento opened the scoring, setting the stage for the Red Booters’ commanding performance.
Sam Angelo Miguel Salingay then showcased his finishing prowess, scoring a brace with goals in the 35th minute and another just three minutes later.
As the first half came to a close, midfielder Nicolai Art Abalos followed suit with a clinical strike in stoppage time, giving the Red Booters a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
Despite Mapúa’s efforts to regroup, the Red Booters continued their relentless attack in the second half, with John Ariel Marquez, Alexis Jeremy Lampines, and Harvey Barro scoring goals of their own to seal the dominant 7-0 performance.
Notably, however, the San Beda Football Team did not escape unscathed. Abalos was sent off in the latter stages after receiving a red card for retaliation against Mapua’s Angelou Maglinas, who was also shown a red card in the same incident. This left both teams down to ten men in the concluding moments of the match. The team also accumulated four yellow cards, with cautions given to Lampines, Marvin Ladines, Jul Andrei Aningalan, and Kirk Emman See.
Despite the impressive performance that secured their victory, Pedimonte emphasized the need for a higher level of consistency to maintain their competitive edge.
“I think we have to improve doon sa finishing namin sa loob ng box. It’s really concerning na ang dami namin chances, but iilan lang ‘yung naco-convert ng team. So, ‘yun talaga ‘yung tinututukan namin sa training sessions,” he stated, reaffirming the team’s commitment to refining their execution as they prepare for their next match.
Pedimonte also affirmed that with a better understanding of their key starters and finishers, the Red Booters are looking to sustain their dominant run.
“Moving forward, we’re really comfortable with the group right now. We’re still trying to look for the right blend kung sino ‘yung mga players na mag-start at kung sino ‘yung tatapos. Pero sa nakaraang dalawang games, I think we have a clear picture kung sino ‘yung mga players na ‘yun. Going against CSB, I think it will be an exciting match,” he added.
Charging ahead with momentum, the San Beda Football team turns its focus to Season 99 first runner-ups De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), whom they will face on April 2 at the same venue.