SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDING THE crown, the San Beda Red Booters prevailed against the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (CSB), 1-0, in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 Men’s Football Tournament last April 26 at the University of Makati (UMak) Stadium.
The Red Booters finished the elimination round of the tournament with a perfect record of four wins and a goal difference of +18 with no goals conceded. Heading into the final four match-up, San Beda sealed their return to the championship game with an emphatic 6-0 victory over the Mapúa University Booters.
Facing Season 99’s first runners-up in the championship match, the Red Booters looked to repeat last season’s victory against the Blazing Strikers.
The first half of the match saw both squads trade near-misses as the first half ended with spoils being shared at 0-0.
Kicking off the second half of the match, Season 99 finals’ lone goal scorer Amir Aningalan gave the Red Booters a 1-0 advantage with a breakthrough strike in the 46th minute.
With the second half seeing heightened defensive displays and physical challenges from both sides, Amir’s goal would serve as the title decider, as the match ended with a 1-0 score after 90 minutes of play.
With this triumph, the San Beda Red Booters secured the program’s 26th Men’s Football Tournament title in the seniors’ division-the winningest of any NCAA member school.
Along with winning the championship, several members of the Red Booters were also able to bag individual awards for their performance throughout the season. Head Coach of the Red Booters, Christopher “Nhiboy” Pedimonte was awarded Coach of the Year for Season 100.
Due to his similar heroics to last season, Aningalan was awarded as Most Valuable Player of the Finals, while Sam Salingay was hailed as Rookie of the Year.
On the defensive side of the pitch, team captain Eldwin Escorosa was awarded as Best Defender, and Pedro Tagara Jr. picked up the Best Goalkeeper award for the tournament.
In an exclusive interview with The Bedan, Head Coach Nhiboy Pedimonte spoke on the undefeated season and the feeling of securing another championship with the Red Booters, saying “It’s the fruit of their (the team’s) hard work talaga, ‘Yung coaches are just there to guide, ‘yung mga players talaga ang nagtrabaho nang husto.”
“It’s their willingness to win, ‘yung undefeated—bonus nalang ‘yan, ang importante sa’min is to bring home the championship to Mendiola again,” he stated.
Speaking on the championship, he spoke on the fulfilling feeling of being victorious despite the challenges faced along the way. “Una, ang dami naming pinagdaanan. ‘Yung team, ang daming challenge na prinesent sa’min along the way. So, it’s really fulfilling na nakuha namin ang Season 100 (championship) despite ‘yung mga struggles namin.”
“Of course, sobrang happy and we owe it to the community, we owe it to the Bedan community and the alumni who have always been there to support us since day one, especially the (Benedictine) Monks.”
(with reports from Rcee Tenefrancia)