Archers gain Final 4 on 8-goal romp

MANILA, Philippines - La Salle-Flying V, needing to score eight goals to advance to the Final Four, did just that yesterday, beating University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, 8-0, and bumping off Ateneo for the last semifinal berth in the IPPCA Pre-Sea son Football Cup at the Philsports pitch in Pasig.

With the Green Archers going 7-0 heading to the stretch, Charles Uy converted on a header on the 81st minute for the much-needed goal, sending La Salle players and their fans into a frenzy.

La Salle thus advanced with higher goal differential, unseating archrival Ateneo-Filoil on top of the Group B with seven points heading into the semis Sunday at the Nuvali Field in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

While Uy delivered the clinching goal, Gio Diamante provided the spark for the Archers in the second half, scoring four goals, including a penalty kick on the 80th minute.

In the semis, La Salle-Flying V meets Group C topnotcher and last year’s UAAP runner-up University of Santo Tomas, while the unbeaten Far Eastern University, which topped Group A, battles Group D topnotcher Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Fedricco Rabaya came through with a brace in the first half to kick off the Archers’ charge then Diamante and Uy took over in the final half.

The Altas closed out their campaign with a 0-3 slate.

In a non-bearing contest, National University blanked Mapua, 3-0, to finish its Group D assignment with five points on a 1-2-0  (win-draw-loss) slate.

The tournament is sponsored by Meralco, Nuvali, Nature’s  Spring,  Molten, N20 Gastropub, Boysen Paints, BDO, Topcoms/StarSports Korea, Bacchus, CDO San Marino Corned Tuna and Pingping Lechon and bankrolled by IPPCA members Chemrez Technologies Inc., Eastern Petroleum Corp., Filpride/USA88, Seaoil Philippines Inc., Flying V, Oilink, Unioil, International Engineer Phils., Inc., Filoil Energy Company, City Oil, Metro Oil Subic, LPGMA, Omni Petroleum Corp, Trans Overseas Industrial Corp. and CIIS.