San Beda XI gains Smart Club finals

RIZAL-SMART San Beda FC slipped past Stallions FC-Barotac Nuevo 2-1 last Monday and advanced to the finals of the PFF-Smart Club Championships at the rain-soaked and muddy University of Makati football field.

Playing on a soggy pitch that made it doubly hard for both sides to score, San Beda banked on enterprising first-half goals by Vaugh Melendres and Eliezer Fabroada in the 16th and 36th minutes, respectively, to survive the Stallions’ strong comeback in the second half.

Former national standout Reuben Doctora J.r scored the Ilonggos’ lone marker in the 62nd as the second half became an engaging goalkeeping duel between Stallions’ Wilson Munoz and San Beda’s Ref Cuaresma, who both made several acrobatic saves that wowed a gallery of 2,000 that stayed on to watch despite the heavy downpour that preceded the game.

But it proved to be a pyrrhic victory for the Rizal booters as Phil and James Younghusband got booked for yellow cards each and will be forced to watch the first game of the two-match championship series starting Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium from the sidelines.

They earned previous cautions in the group eliminations last week in Cagayan de Oro. Based on tournament rules, the yellow cards are carried over into the next stage, meriting a one-game suspension each.

Phil was slapped a yellow card in the middle of the first half for absent-mindedly bringing in his plastic water bottle into the pitch instead of leaving it on the sidelines while James got his in the fifth and final minute of injury time in the second half for repeatedly complaining about the assistant referee’s calls.

Malaya