SHS-J WINS A GOLD & 2 BRONZES AT RIFA CUP
SHS-J WINS A GOLD & 2 BRONZES AT RIFA CUP
Makati - The Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) football teams snatched a championship and two third place finishes at the RIFA Cup held at the Colegio de San Agustin (CSA) campus in Makati over the weekend.
The SHSJ Boys 97 team won the Boys 1997 age group with a nail-biting 3-2 win over PAREF Southridge via penalty shoo-out. The SHSJ Boys 95 and 96 teams copped third place in their respective age groups to assure the three-team delegation of a podium finish in the school’s first-ever trip to the RIFA Cup.
The championship match ended in a scoreless draw although SHSJ controlled the tempo of the match and had more shots on goal. The Cebuanos bungled two close scoring opportunities and had to settle for the draw and a penalty shoot-out to decide the championship.
Both teams were tied at 2-all at the end of the penalty shoot-out of three kickers per team. JM Acebedo-Kwan and Kiko Villamor delivered the goods for SHSJ. This set the stage for a crucial sudden-death shoot-out where goalkeeper Jerby Bernaldez was designated by Coach Lito Ramos to take the kick. The left-footed Bernaldez calmly sent his kick through the net and moments later stopped the last kicker of Southridge, sending the Cebu delegation to a frenzy.
It was a fitting climax and turn-around for the SHSJ Boys 97 team as it was on the verge of not making it to the playoffs after posting a so-so 2-2 (win-loss) record or a total 6 points in the elimination round. One of these losses was a 0-1 defeat to Southridge while the other was to Ateneo de Manila. Southridge went into the finals as heavy favorites after recording a sweep of its opponents for a 4-0 record to top their bracket. SHSJ defeated the top-seeded team of the other bracket in CSA, 1-0, in the cross-over semifinals and thus set up a grudge match against its elimination round tormentors.
Makati - The Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) football teams snatched a championship and two third place finishes at the RIFA Cup held at the Colegio de San Agustin (CSA) campus in Makati over the weekend.
The SHSJ Boys 97 team won the Boys 1997 age group with a nail-biting 3-2 win over PAREF Southridge via penalty shoo-out. The SHSJ Boys 95 and 96 teams copped third place in their respective age groups to assure the three-team delegation of a podium finish in the school’s first-ever trip to the RIFA Cup.
The championship match ended in a scoreless draw although SHSJ controlled the tempo of the match and had more shots on goal. The Cebuanos bungled two close scoring opportunities and had to settle for the draw and a penalty shoot-out to decide the championship.
Both teams were tied at 2-all at the end of the penalty shoot-out of three kickers per team. JM Acebedo-Kwan and Kiko Villamor delivered the goods for SHSJ. This set the stage for a crucial sudden-death shoot-out where goalkeeper Jerby Bernaldez was designated by Coach Lito Ramos to take the kick. The left-footed Bernaldez calmly sent his kick through the net and moments later stopped the last kicker of Southridge, sending the Cebu delegation to a frenzy.
It was a fitting climax and turn-around for the SHSJ Boys 97 team as it was on the verge of not making it to the playoffs after posting a so-so 2-2 (win-loss) record or a total 6 points in the elimination round. One of these losses was a 0-1 defeat to Southridge while the other was to Ateneo de Manila. Southridge went into the finals as heavy favorites after recording a sweep of its opponents for a 4-0 record to top their bracket. SHSJ defeated the top-seeded team of the other bracket in CSA, 1-0, in the cross-over semifinals and thus set up a grudge match against its elimination round tormentors.
The SHSJ Boys 97 Team: Kneeling (l-r) Matoy Reyes, JM Acebedo-Kwan, Jake Ramos.
Standing (l-r): Jerby Bernaldez, Kiko Villamor, Mark Veloso, Thirdy Pepito, Kyle Silawan.
The SHSJ Boys 95 team topped its bracket in the elimination round with 3 wins and 2 draws (11 points), but played listlessly and lost to Marist, 0-1 in the semifinals. The team, however bounced back to defeat European International School, 1-0, in the battle for third place. HEDCEN won the championship with Marist taking second place.
The SHSJ Boys 96 team also bagged third place in their age group after defeating Philippine Christian University (PCU), 2-1, with AJ Pelicano scoring the winning goal. Matoy Reyes had scored the team’s first goal, sending his curling kick into the PCU goalkeeper’s hands but which the goalkeeper couldn’t control as the ball spun into the net. The team had placed second in its bracket behind champions HEDCEN, and lost to Xavier in the semifinals.
As the news of the championship and two third place finishes reached him, Cebu Football Association (CebuFA) President Jonathan “Maxi” Maximo said that this was a positive reflection of Cebu youth football. “Cebu youth football has really grown. Result shows that we can be very competitive among the youth teams in the country,” he said.
The SHSJ delegation returned to Cebu late Sunday night and was feted for its achievements at a school assembly yesterday.
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