NCAA football: St. Benilde forces decider for title

St. Benilde refused to go down without a fight and edged Arellano in penalty shootout, 4-3 (1-1), to force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the NCAA Season 93 senior football Finals Monday at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Blazer Moiselle Angelo Alforque sent the ball to the back of the net as he broke the 3-all deadlock in the shootout after Chief Patrick John Bernarte sailed over the crossbar to surrender the win in the tense Game 2 duel.

Arellano seemed to have gotten in the head of St. Benilde early after Cyrus Sanquilos put his side up 1-0 at the seventh minute.

The Blazers, however, couldn’t stomach the idea of a repeat of last season’s runner-up finish and came out as the aggressors in the second half with Major Dean Ebarle knotting the score at a goal apiece which remained until the end of extra time.

As the match went on to a penalty shootout, Arellano’s Sanquilos, Charles Gamutan, and Roberto Corsame and St. Benilde’s Earl Real Laguerta, Vincent Erik Lovitos, and Renz Joseph Tulayba all traded goals to tie the score at 3-3.

Bernate, however, went too strong on his attempt for the Chiefs that allowed Alforque to deliver the clincher.

“I told the players at halftime that if we score the equalizer in the second half, we’ll win this. And we did,” said Blazers coach Marlon Maro.

Game 3 is on Wednesday, still at the historic Rizal Memorial pitch.

In the juniors division, Mariano Suba uncorked a hattrick before goalkeeper Jessie Reil Semblano showcased his defensive whiz in the shootout to deliver San Beda to a 3-1 (3-3) victory over CSB-La Salle Greenhills and take home the Red Booters’ 17th juniors crown.