SHARP SHARPE: Michael Sharpe (16) joins 14 other Cebuano in the CebuFA U17 squad set to see action in Dumaguete for the PFF U17 Regional Championships. Sharpe scored two goals for Cebu’s runner up finish in the National U19 last year.
Sun*Star Photo by Ruel Rusillo

TEN years after steering Cebu City to the National Under-16 title, Glen Ramos guides a select group of footballers to the Philippine Football Federation U-17 Regional Championships in Dumaguete City.

The 15 boys, culled from six rival schools, will put up a united front when they go up against the region’s best, Dumaguete, Iloilo, and Bacolod in the four day tournanment.

The U-17 tournament was put up by the PFF since last year’s U-16 competition was cancelled after corporate backer Coca-Cola backed out. In 1995, Ramos steered his wards from Don Bosco Boys Home to the national title.

Those who made it to the team after a series of tryouts are Jose Paolo Pascual, Roy Joseph Sembrano and Benedict Luis Arriola of Springdale, Josephus Bernaldez, James Candido, Ric Ryan Fuentes, and Don Francois Noel of Sacred Heart School Jesuit, Jose Jordan Diao, Jessie Roy Melgo II, Howard Dwight Docino of Abellana National School.

Also with the team are Pomposo D Atillo, Gene Manuel Gacayan III, Kyle Vincent Soriano of Don Bosco Technological Center, Michael Sharpe of Cebu International School and Jonathan Tan of the University of Southern Philippines.

“The team from DBBH (national Coke Go-for-Goal champion) jelled since they played together for a long time, this team was formed only a few weeks ago, but they are more skillful,” Ramos said during an interview at the SHS-J field in Ayala.

“I have 100 percent trust in the team,” his brother Vincent said.

Though they are new as a team, all players in the squad have played in various regionals and knows what it feels to face the other provinces.

“We can compete, because most of us have experience, and we have one who just played in the Palarong Pambansa,” said Docino, the team’s designated captain.

On the other hand, though he is the youngest in the team at 14, Pascual, the lone goalkeeper of the squad also played in Iloilo during the Philippine Football Fiesta, while Sharpe has played in national and international tournaments and scored two goals during last year’s Adidas U-19 championship.

They leave for Dumaguete today in time for the opening on the 18th.

Meanwhile, Palaro veteran Soriano said that most players of the Iloilo team are from the national U-17 team.

“They are very quick and very fast,” he said

“MOMMY” STRIKE: Queen City United striker Rhodora “Mommy” Toledo pulls a shot in thier finals match against CMOFA last May 15. After a 1-1 draw, QCU keeper Iris Meca stopped the final kicker in the shootout for their 6-5 win.
Sun.Star Photo by Arni Aclao

IRIS Meca and Junard Aguilar supplied the heroics yesterday as Queen City United and Hiroshi Football Club copped the Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament’s Men and Women’s Open titles, respectively, in contrasting fashions at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center.

QCU had to go through extra time and a shootout before beating Cagayan de Oro Misamis Oriental Football Association (Cmofa), 6-5, while Hiroshi overcame an endgame onslaught by Don Bosco Alumni Football Club (DBAFC), 2-1.

It was a double victory for Hiroshi as its 38-Above squad also took the title with a gritty 1-0 win over QCU earlier, courtesy of Eddie Buot’s goal.

“They left Eddie alone because he wouldn’t run, but they forgot that he could kick well so he left footed the ball in,” teammate Bebe Acre said.

A nifty shot by Marlou Solon barely squeezed past by Cmofa keeper Maria Cueto for an early QCU lead at the fifth minute.

However, the visitors caught up at the 62nd to level the score.

After a scoreless extension, the match went to a shootout, where the usually calm Meca provided the heroics. After the first four kickers made it a 5-all deadlock, Meca made sure there would be no extension as she stopped Kate Francisco, paving the way for Carmel Colina’s winning shot for the P20,000 top prize.

On the other hand, the Men’s open final saw Hiroshi on the defensive end early before they were able to regroup.

Rolando Verdida connected with a streaking Aguilar at the 30th for a 1-0 lead.

Aguilar, whose acceleration with the ball gave a lot of headaches to the defense, came close later but his shot missed.

In the second half, Marion Cubelo stripped defender Kim Relucio inside the penalty but he also bungled his shot.

Dave Intong finally found his mark at the 70th after banging in a cross to level the match.

Five minutes later, after receiving a pass inside the box, Aguilar, instead of opting for a power shot, looped the ball past the keeper to score and spark another Hiroshi celebration.

Don Bosco kept on pushing in the end game behind Glen Ramos’ passing but the Hiroshi defense kept up to seal the win and the P30,000 top prize.

ON THE PROWL: Queen City’s Rene Menchavez tries to get past a Don Bosco defender in their 2-7 loss in the Cebu Inter Club semifinals last May 14.

Sun*Star photo Allan Cuizon

IT WAS an anticlimactic semifinals as Hiroshi Football Club and Don Bosco Alumni FC scored easy routs to arrange a finals showdown today in the Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament at the University of San Carlos Gym.

Hiroshi FC blanked Futbol Sociedad de Leyte (FSL), 4-0, for its fifth shutout in the tournament, while an undermanned Queen City United (QCU) bowed to DBAFC, 2-7.

However, QCU fans can take comfort in the fact that their Ladies team is in the finals after a 4-0 cakewalk over FSL.

After a slow start, Martin Bontia hit from left flank for a 1-0 Hiroshi lead going into the second half. Workhorse Junard Aguilar added another at the 55th before Harold Buot and Julius Acre scored their goals at the 81st and 87th minute.

Hiroshi will again be missing the services of Ariel Cahilig, who got sent off for the second match this week.

Cahilig was also red carded in their draw against DBAFC, and yesterday was sent off at the 19th together with FSL’s Henry Gotardo for retaliating.

In the other match, Don Bosco Alumni, reinforced by the University of San Jose-Recoletos, took the lead at the 20th courtesy of Oliver Colina before Robert Nicart made it 2-0 three minutes later.

Joshua Fegidiro broke away from the defense at the 30th to narrow the gap to 2-1 at the end of the first half. However, QCU’s defense crumbled in the second half as they conceded five goals before Fegidero nailed his second goal via penalty.

Meanwhile, Katrina Bejec struck first in the first half and Marlou Solon added another in the second half, while the wily Rhodora Toledo scored twice to book their seat in the finals against Mulbachs, which defeated Misamis Oriental FA, 1-0.

Paola Liok scored the lone goal at the 62nd for Mulbachs hard-earned win. Mulbachs will try to reverse its 0-1 loss to QCU in the eliminations.

RED CARD: Veterans get down and dirty during St Vincent - Hiroshi’s 3-2 win over QC in the 38 above division last May 13 at the Sacred Heart School Jesuit field. The QC keeper was later ejected in the game.

Sun*Star photo by Allan Cuizon

BARELY two months ago, the University of San Carlos ladies were hailed the best in the lot after ruling the Aboitiz Women’s Open. Now they can’t nail even a single win.

Mulbachs FC handed the reigning Cebu champion a thorough 5-0 thumping in the Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament at the USC Technological Center.

Meanwhile, the semifinals of the Men’s Open will be at USC-TC, while the ladies will be at the Sacred Heart School Jesuit field.

“It’s tough, we’re back to square one,” USC coach Dexter Arrojado told Sun.Star Cebu at the sidelines, minutes after Cathy Ramos made it 4-0 in the 47th minute. “We have to rebuild and train new players.”

In the first half, Keith Shelly Canton scored in the 21st, before Halei Marmol and Leonor Satorre scored in the 24th and 29th for a 3-0 lead at the half.

“We lost everybody. This team only had less than a month to prepare for the tournament,” Arrojado said.

“Everybody” Arrojado referred to mentioned went to QCU, a team known then as USC Alumni whom they beat 2-1 in the Aboitiz finals just last March 19.

The USC team earlier lost to Cagayan Misamis Oriental Football Association, 2-0; Ormoc, 1-0; and Queen City United, 5-0.

Among them were Rhodora Toledo, Jan Salac, Ivy Bongcasan, and Marlou Solon who scored all but one of QCU’s 14 goals in their four wins in the tournament.

QCU leads the cast of semifinalists and will face Ormoc in the first game at 1:30, before Mulbachs takes on CMOFA in the next encounter.

On the other hand, Men’s top seed Hiroshi FC will face Ormoc, a team they beat 7-0 earlier, at 1:30 in USC TC while Queen City United takes on the Don Bosco Alumni FC which has been beefed up with the University of San Jose Recoletos alumni.

The week long tourney, organized by the Cebu Amateur Football Club, winds up tomorrow with the finals in the ladies, men’s and 38 above division at USC-TC.

BUSY KEEPER: Futbol Sociodad de Leyte keeper Lourdes Rojas in action against Queen City. FSL lost 7-0 to QC in their first game,and defeated CMOFA, 2-1 last May 12.

Sun*Star photo by Arni Aclao

IN JUST a few months, the University of San Carlos Ladies squad has spiraled from being the Cebu Women’s Open champion to being doormats.

After losing some of its key players to graduation, USC lost big time to Queen City United, 5-0, in yesterday’s Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

What was probably more heartbreaking for the USC Ladies was that they were playing against a team with players who were with them just a few months ago.

QCU ace-striker Rodora Toledo scored a one against her former team at the second minute and Jan Salac buried the reigning Women’s champion deeper with a hat trick.

Salac got past Sharmaine Cambiador at the 14th and 23rd for a 3-0 lead going into the final half.

A change of goalkeepers didn’t fare well for USC as Salac completed her hat trick four minutes into the second half against Niña Mahinay.

To make matters worse, USC defender Vanessa Amann redirected the ball into her own goal for a 5-0 count in the 56th.

“Mahinay fumbled her save and Amman hit the ball to the net,” referee Michael Culibra said. “Queen City dominated the match, but Marlou Solon didn’t even play.”

Solon, also a USC product, is a known scoring threat.

In the other Ladies match-up, the Cagayan Misamis Oriental Football Association outlasted a gritty Football Sociedad de Leyte, 2-1, for its second win.

Cmofa got a 2-0 lead going into the second half courtesy of Ewa Furio’s goal at the fifth and Carla Alabat’s strike at the 37th.

FSL came back in the 59th with a perfect set piece from Jeynette Mercado, who sent the ball to the top corner to make it 2-1. Mercado had another attempt a few minutes later but was stopped by the Cmofa goalkeeper.

Despite some more advances, FSL couldn’t connect again and keeper Leonila Lourdes Rojas had to scramble a few saves to keep the margin low.

Both teams are already in the semifinals and will just be playing for rankings, while USC will play for pride when it faces Mulbachs in its final assignment today at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center (USC-TC).

HEAD OVER HEELS: A hiroshi player gets close and intimate with the football in their 7-0 win over Leyte last May 11 at the SHS J feild

Sun*Star photo by Allan Cuizon

IT’S not only the top men and lady players who are having fun in the 1st Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center and Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field, but also the golden boys in the 38-Above division.

The combined Queen City-Dads United managed to endure the heat and desert-like field to eke out a 2-1 win over Hiroshi St. Vincent at the SHS-J field yesterday.

Meanwhile, a lucky break in the last minute allowed QC to even up with Don Bosco Alumni FC, 1-1, in the Men’s Open.

QC-Dads’s line-up features familiar football figures like Lito and Vincent Ramos and Renato Yap, while Hiroshi has Felimon Ylaya, Bebe Acre, Eddie Buot, Venerando Bagano and Harou Iwanaga.

And as a “sign of respect” to the veterans, organizers have decided to adopt a flying substitution scheme in the division.

Yap got past the defense at the seventh minute to put QC-Dads on top by one.

Later, QC goalkeeper Nimrod Quiñones went for the ball off a corner and missed, allowing an unchecked Bagano to level the count at 1-1 going into the half.

Despite the heat, fatigue and all, the two squads went at it in the second half.
Buot, who coaches the University of the Visayas Senior squad, had a few chances at goal, while a QC player attracted attention after tripping by himself.

Yap again got past Hiroshi ‘keeper Buenaventura Canoy, while Quiñones tapped out a shot in the dying minutes to preserve their win.

Hiroshi will have a chance to get back at QC as the three teams in the division will play a double-round elimination, with the top two colliding in the finals.

In the other game, Kid Nicart put Don Bosco on top at the 59th before QC equalized deep in injury time.

Joshua Fegidro headed Rene Menchavez’s pass back to the penalty area, where a 6-foot-2 Ivan Dimco waited to head the ball past Oscar Lemence for the late goal.

Queen City is now tied with Hiroshi on top with seven points apiece but the latter has the advantage in goal difference with 12 after defeating Leyte, 7-0, in its first game.

VETERAN MOVES: Action in the 38 above division of the Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament

Sun*Star photo by Arni Aclao

Perhaps Hiroshi needed more room to really show their stuff.

A day after being held to a scoreless draw, the Hiroshi Football Club found their groove after routing erstwhile unbeaten Queen City United 6-1, in the 1st Cebu Inter Club Invitational Tournament at the University of San Carlos.

Despite the loss, Queen City, who plays Don Bosco Football Club today, is still on top of the standings with two wins, with Hiroshi at second with a win and a draw.

Last Monday, they were held to a scoreless draw against the DBFC at the cramped Sacred Heart School Jesuit field while playing well against Queen city in the roomier USC TC field.

The game also had an interesting sub plot, as it featured former members of the Carmen National School and current University of the Visayas squad playing against each other.

Josaphat Sacil, Ivan Dimco and coach Mario Ceniza are with Queen City, while former Carmen teammates, Junard Aguilar, Martin Ceniza and UV teammates Marion Cubelo, Jake Acrea and Frederick Alazas are with Hiroshi.

After early misses, Jake Acre put Hiroshi on top in the 22nd after converting a penalty and before Queen City could recover, Cubelo got one past keeper Beth Pius.

The prolific Joshua Fegidero scored the lone goal for Queen City in the 36th with a turn and shoot to get past Alazas.

Aguilar could have made it 4-1 in the 54th with Pius down, but Sacil anticipated his move and cleared his shot.

There was no clearing substitue Rommel Cuizon’s shot in the 75th for a 4-1 count and an unchecked Ronel Saranillo scored in the 84th before Cuizon closed out in the 87th.

In the other men’s open match, the USC varsity lost their second straight game to Ormoc 2-0, while in the ladies side, Queen City got by Mulbachs 1-0 and the Cagayan Misamis Oriental Football Association won over USC 2-0

KTEC in action: Hiroshi’s Frederick Alazas pulls a save.
Sun*star photo by Arni Aclao

JOSHUA Fegidero’s hat trick carried host Queen City United to a 3-2 win over the University of San Carlos (USC) in yesterday’s Cebu Inter-Club National Invitational Tournament at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

It was QCU’s second win after an easy 6-0 rout over Futbol Sociedad de Leyte in their first game last Sunday.

Meanwhile, midfielder-turned-goalkeeper Frederick “Ktec” Alazas came up with a timely save as Hiroshi drew with Don Bosco Alumni FC, 0-0, in the first game.

After an early miss by Rene Menchavez, Fegidero found him streaking towards USC keeper Peter Babiera for the first goal at the 25th minute.

However, Fegidero’s effort went to naught after a defensive miscommunication had Yancy Menchavez’s intended back pass streaking past own keeper Beth Pius to level the count at the 27th.

Early in the second half, Fegidero drove from left and flicked a shot towards the bottom corner to give host QCU the lead.

After getting tackled inside the penalty area at the 65th, Fegidero, a member of Bacolod’s famous football playing clan, made it 3-1.

Jan Michael Abellana brought USC closer at the 79th after redirecting a free kick, but the Queen City defense held to preserve the win.

In the first game, reigning Cebu champion Hiroshi FC, which had the upper hand in the match, found itself a man short against Don Bosco after referee Randy Estremos gave Ariel Cahilig his second yellow card at the 58th.

A few minutes later, Estremos awarded a penalty to Don Bosco but Alazas, a former youth national team member, stopped Oliver Colina’s shot to preserve the score.

“That was close,” Alazas said after the game.

Today, Hiroshi will face off with QCU at the University of San Carlos- Technological Campus in what could be a finals preview.

Goal scorer: Rhodora Toledo scores one of her two goals in Queen City’s 7-0 win.
Sun*Star photo by Arni Aclao

THE Futbol Sociedad de Leyte lady booters, competing in the Cebu Inter Club National Invitational Tournament to test their mettle, found themselves on the receiving end of a 7-0 bashing by Queen City United in the opener yesterday at the University of San Carlos-Technological Center (USC-TC).

“If they want experience, this is the right way to gain experience,” said an observer of the Leyte team, composed mainly of high-school players from Ormoc National High School and University of the Philippines-Tacloban.

The Men’s opener was just as lopsided as Queen City defeated FSL, 6-0.
Against the QCU, composed of USC alumni and the forerunners of ladies football in Cebu, the action was predictably kept on the Leyte side.

Rhodora Toledo sneaked in the first goal off Carmel Colina’s cross at the third minute, and at the 12th reversed roles as she fed Colina for an early 2-0 lead. Colina earlier earned a yellow card from Kurt Acre for excessive complaining of a non-call.

Another shot by Colina at the 15th sailed high, while Toledo missed a pointblank shot at the 21st.
USC keeper Iris Meca found herself with nothing to do, so she opted to clear the pebbles on her goal area, while engaging the crowd behind her in chitchat.

Toledo added another goal after getting past keeper Ma. Lourdes Leonila Rojas at the 34th before Katherine Bejec’s lob in the 39th made it 4-0.

Fresh legs meant more woes for the visitors, and substitute Elaine Macasero droved in the fifth goal three minutes into the second half before Ivy Bongcasan’s scored at the 54th and 56th minute.

Meanwhile, Dads United will take on QCU in the opener of the 38-Above division, while QCU faces Mulbachs and USC collides with the Cagayan team in the Ladies side.

In the Men’s Open, Aboitiz Cup champion Hiroshi FC will take on Don Bosco Alumni, while QC will face the USC varsity at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit field.

Action in San Roque Sun*Star photo by Amper Campaña

The Cebu Amateur Football Club’s ambitious program will have its low key start today with the opening of the 1st CEbu Inter Club national Invitational Tournament at the University of San Carlos.

Club president Joel Catan, tournament director Richard Montayre and head coach Mario Ceniza wants to make the tournament an annual affair and have it calendared by the Philippine Football Federation so the other provinces can prepare for it.

“We want to make it annual, and definitely by next year, we willhave more teams because we will be adding the age group divisions,” Catan said.

The organizing club have dangled a hefty P30,000 top purse in the Men’s Open, which will feature teams from outside Cebu as well as host Queen City United, Don Bosco and reigning Cebu champion Hiroshi Football Club.

In the ladies division, P20,000 will go to the winners and teams who will be joining are from Cagayan, Leyte, USC, Mulbachs and Queen City.

Players who are past their prime but still want to hold on to thier playing years can also play in the 38 above divison.

“We have no casy awards for this division, because most of the playes are already professionals,” Catan said.