COMPLETING an historic sweep of the 2019 Philippines Football League tournament, three-time league champion Ceres-Negros FC now channels its focus on winning the soon-to-start Copa Paulino Alcantara.
Played and defeated Kaya FC-Iloilo, 3-0, on Saturday at the Aboitiz Pitch in Lipa City, Batangas, the “Busmen,” with the win, put the finishing touches on a magical campaign that saw it go undefeated in 24 matches with a record of 22 wins and two draws with 68 points.
It is an impressive form that they hope to continue to display when the second edition of the Copa unfurls on Oct. 26.
“It really feels good to win the title. We treated every game like it’s the final and we deserve to win the title. Everybody is happy and it’s time to celebrate,” said Bienvenido Maranon, one of the top scorers (30) in the just-concluded tournament after they officially clinched the league title.
“The next is the Cup and we have to focus on that, but we have to enjoy this first. We are going for a sweep and win the Cup,” he added.
In their game against Kaya, which incidentally is the defending Copa Paulino Alcantara champion, Ceres showed the go-getting mindset it needed to complete the sweep.
After being held down to a nil-nil tie after the opening half, the Busmen just picked up their offense in the second.
OJ Porteria punctured through for Ceres in the 73rd minute, heading in a pinpoint cross from teammate Stephan Schrock for the 1-0 lead.
Undermanned Kaya, which played sans some of its regulars, desperately tried to get back the point and fight back but the champions were not to give in as Mr. Maranon and James Younghusband scored a goal each in the 90th minute and inside the three-minute added time, respectively, to complete the shutout victory.
The win was the fourth by Ceres over rival Kaya in as many league games this year, underscoring its dominance over the Iloilo-based team, which finished second in the race with 56 points off a record of 18 wins, two draws and four losses.
For his steady solid play all tournament long, Mr. Schrock was adjudged as tournament most valuable player, something he views with much appreciation and looking to build on moving forward.
“This is an honorable moment for me. I really worked hard all season long, made a lot of sacrifices along with my family. We had a crazy run. We went undefeated and the MVP is topped it all,” said the Ceres stalwart, who scored five goals in their impressive run.
Mr. Schrock went on to pay to tribute to Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic for being a steadying factor, particularly midway into the tournament when Ceres was rocked by the issue regarding team ownership.
“We have an awesome coach who worked us through all the tough things,” said Mr. Schrock of their coach.
Meanwhile, in the Copa Paulino Alcantara, apart from Ceres and Kaya, also competing are Green Archers United FC, Philippine Air Force FC, Mendiola FC 1991, and Stallion Laguna FC.
Part of the participating teams as well is the Philippine U22 team, which will be seeing action in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here later this year.
The Copa Paulino Alcantara runs until Nov. 16. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
