Ceres seals title clash with Kaya

Fresh off his selection to the Asean Football Federation’s Best XI players of the year, Stephan Schrock quickly made his presence felt for his club, Ceres-Negros.

Captaining the side in place of Carlie De Murga, Schrock sparked the Busmen’s remarkable comeback from two goals down as Ceres-Negros subdued Stallion Laguna, 4-3, on Sunday to reach the finals of the Copa Paulino Alcantara at Biñan Football Stadium.

National team player Mike Ott bagged two goals to match Schrock’s output for the Busmen, who will face fierce rival Kaya Iloilo in the title match on Saturday.

“It was a real dogfight,” said Schrock. “From two-nil down we went four-two up. We were a little bit shaky in the end but overall, everybody stepped up during this competition and everybody is proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Kaya overpowered Mendiola FC, 3-0, in the other semifinal duel to secure the second AFC Cup berth. Kenshiro Daniels, Masa Omura and Darryl Roberts were all on target for the Iloilo side, which finished second in the league behind Ceres.

While Kaya cruised to a trouble-free triumph, the Busmen were made to sweat by a gritty Stallion side that took a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes after goals from Edris Najim and Abou Sy.

Schrock cut the deficit with an 18th minute strike, before Ott equalized 11 minutes later.

Schrock found the back of the net again in the 69th minute and Ott made it 4-2 in the 77th minute, before Jhan Melliza pulled a goal back five minutes from time for Stallion.