San Beda begins NCAA quest with rout of EAC

SAN Beda College opened its titleretention campaign in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 93 seniors football tournament with a resounding 10-1 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.

The Red Booters netted four goals in the first half then notched six in the final 45 minutes as they secured their first maximum points this season.

National youth team standout Nimrod Balabat spearheaded San Beda’s onslaught, with four goals to his name.

Balabat scored the opener with just nine minutes past the kickoff.

Aljo Zabala, Mark Anthony Magtoto and Adolfo Abada launched a scoring spree to give the defending champion a commanding 4-0 lead in the first half.

The Generals stopped the bleeding courtesy of Marvin Lianza’s strike from the penalty spot in the 50th minute.

That would be EAC’s lone goal though as San Beda continued to dictate the game’s tempo, scoring six more goals in the remaining minutes of the contest.

Balabat completed the season’s first hat trick in the 54th and Kenry Balobo got into the scoreboard 10 minutes later. Balabat posted his fourth goal in the 67th.

James Pangasian capped their dominance of the match with a quick brace in the final six minutes of the regulation—the last one a clinical strike on a well-placed cross into the middle of the penalty box.

Powerhouse teams College of St. Benilde and Arellano University are also seeking their opening wins against Mapua University and University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, respectively, at press time.