Maroons down Tams, gain twice-to-beat edge

GERARDO Valmayor sparkled as reigning champion University of the Philippines trounced Far Eastern University, 2-0, in a playoff over the weekend to claim the second twiceto-beat bonus in the UAAP football final four at Erenchun field inside the Ateneo campus in Quezon City.

Exploiting FEU’s weak defensive setup at the middle, Valmayor struck his first goal at the 13th minute then com- pleted his heroics with another goal in a one-on-one play in the 71st minute, pushing UP to second spot behind top qualifier Ateneo, which secured the first twice-to-beat edge.

The Tamaraws, who matched the Fighting Maroons’ 8-win, 3-loss-1 draw record for 25 points in the elimination round, slipped to No. 3 and need to beat their tormentor twice to advance against the winner of the other semifinal be- tween Ateneo (also 8-3-1 with 27 points) and No. 4 La Salle (8-4).

UP and FEU will tangle at at 2 p.m. on Thursday while Ateneo and La Salle clash at 9 a.m.

The Fighting Maroons also leaned on goalkeeper Ace Villanueva, who thwarted the attempts of FEU’s Jesus Melliza, the last in the 67th minute.

Melliza, who made 15 goals this season, kicked the ball inside the penalty box, but Villanueva used his body to block the shot.

In the women’s division, FEU (5-0-3 for 18 points) and La Salle (3-1-4 for 13 points) forged a title showdown following 1-0 victories over University of Santo Tomas and UP, respectively.

Barbie Sobredo nailed a goal in the 18th minute mark for FEU while La Salle’s Karla Pacificador scored a goal during a penalty kick in the 71st minute.