WITH just six hours of practice on an 11-a-side pitch for the entire two months of elimination round of the 18th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) collegiate football tournament, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Booters managed to advance to the championship following its 2-1 defeat of perennial runner-up University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF), Sunday afternoon at the Cebu City Sports Center.
The win allowed UV to advance to the championships after a decade. The last time it advanced to the finals was in 2008 where it lost the title to USJ-R.
Green Booters head coach Alex Ballesteros said he is grateful to the UV administration for giving them the budget to be able to train on an 11-a-side pitch so his players can really get adjusted to a regular Cesafi football match.
“Usually, we only practice small sided football because we do not have a budget to practice on a regular field,” said Ballesteros, who is hoping that the UV administration would once again grant his request for a two-hour session per day at the Sports Center pitch this week in preparation for the finals on November 18, 2 p.m., wherein the Green Booters will be going up against defending champions University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, still at the same venue.
Scoring a brace and sealing UV’s finals ticket was John Mansueto.
The Warriors were the first to advance to the finals after drawing the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, 1-1, in an earlier game.
Although both teams ended with identical 12 points, USC claimed the finals ticket by virtue of goal difference.
UV ends the eliminations at the top with 14 points following its 4-2-2 win-loss-draw record.
UV, however, will be playing without one of its key players, Miracle Segun, who was given a red card for elbowing a USPF defender.
But, it seems that USC will have it worse because it will be missing four players in the finals— Angelo Ouano, Aldrich Pelenio, Andrew Pelicano and Bertram Musni.