COLLEGE of St. Benilde outscored Arellano University in a penalty shootout and escaped with a 4-3 (1-1) victory to send the best-of-three series to one final match in the 93rd NCAA senior football tournament at the Rizal Memorial pitch.
Major Dean Ebarle headed home the equalizing goal off a Carmelo Vicente Genco cross in the second half and then Moiselle Angelo Alforque blasted in the title-clinching strike after AU’s Patrick John Bernarte’s attempt sailed way over the bar from a 3-3 deadlock in the shootout to snatch the win that knotted the series at one apiece.
CSB and AU face each other one last time at 6 p.m. tonight.
Energized by the return of national under-23 standout Roberto Corsame, Jr. from a Game One suspension, the Chiefs, who took the series opener, 3-2, Friday, seized the early lead when Cyrus Sanquilos drilled in a goal on the seventh minute.
But AU looked spent in the second half as CSB came out of halftime the aggressor that resulted to the Ebarle equalizer on the 61st.
After AU’s Cymun Sanquilos, Charles Gamutan and Corsame and CSB’s Earl Real Laguerta, Vincent Erik Lovitos and Renz Joseph Tulayba traded goals, Bernarte missed his, paving the way for Alforque to seal the win.
“I told the players at halftime that if we score the equalizer in the second half, we’ll win this. And we did,” said CSB coach Marlon Maro.
Cyrus Sanquilos turned hero to goat when he also missed his attempt in the shootout.
In junior’s action, Mariano Suba unloaded a hat trick and goalie Jessie Reil Semblano made three spectacular saves while scoring the decisive goal in the shootout to power San Beda to a 3-1 (3-3) win over CSB-La Salle Greenhills and to their 17th juniors crown.