Archers surrender two late goals, draw third match

Green Archers United cannot seem to get over the hump as the club leaked two goals in the final five minutes of regulation for a 2-2 scoreline against Philippine Army-General Trias International on January 23 at the Emperador Stadium in Taguig. This is the Archers' third draw in as many matches they have played at the 2014 United Football League.

Leading two goals to nil after Jovanie Simpron scored in the third minute and Robert Lopez Mendy in the 65th minute, Green Archers let Army bounce back into the match as John Cain notched a goal in the 86th minute, followed by a rebound off a scramble by Kang Dae Han from a corner kick in the 89th minute.

"It’s a sad day for us. We should have won this handily. I think we let our guard down slightly in the last ten minutes," manager Monchu Garcia said.

GAU executed crisp short passes that led to several chances in the first half, foremost being Simpron’s strike, which came from a through ball that the Far Eastern alum took advantage of with a one-on-one situation against Army keeper Ed Sacapano. The lead could have been padded further as shots on goal by Chieffy Caligdong, Park Jun Soo, and Arnie Pasinabo were either off target or went straight to Sacapano. Army-GTI relied on counterattacks in the first 45 minutes of the fixture, but was unable to make a dent in the scoreboard.

In the second half, the pace became more deliberate with several stoppages because of physical play. The Archers were the more dominant side in the first 20 minutes as they pressed from way back and tested Sacapano with one attempt after another.

From a nifty short corner kick by substitute Tating Pasilan at the right wing, Chieffy Caligdong deftly dribbled beside the baseline, attracting the attention of the defenders. His short groundball cross went to an unmarked Lopez Mendy at the middle of the six-yard box, who then tapped it in for a two-goal advantage.

With the Archers tasting their largest cushion so far in the season, they fell back a bit to concentrate on defense. However, this gave the striped shirts the impetus to attack. Cain’s left boot from the right flank trimmed the gap to within one.

A few ticks later, a corner kick sent into Green Archers’ box was headed by Jeon Shin Seok towards goal but was deflected out. In the ensuing scramble, Kang flicked the ball with his left foot.

Deyto, who was behind the goal line, protected the ball with his body. When he proceeded to continue play, Army players stopped and pointed towards his direction. During the slight confusion, referee Ariel Montana whistled for a goal as Green Archers players surrounded the linesman to protest the call and state their case.

"It’s not a goal, I swear, man. The linesman just called that. He was miles away and people were blocking his view, so how can he possibly call that," Deyto said after the match.

GAU is still at the bottom half of the table with three points. Army-GTI is just a single point above, so far amassing a win, a defeat, and a draw to start the season.

Green Archers United draws yet again

After fighting tooth and nail against the defending United Football League champions on opening day, Green Archers United found themselves in the worst of starts and almost gave Pasargad and debuting coach Nii Aryee Ayi their first win of the season. Good thing the Archers held on as a Dodong Villareal goal in the 70th minute to notch a 1-1 draw on January 16 at the Emperador Stadium, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

Coach Rodolfo Alicante was displeased with his squad's start as Simon Pierre Bayemeg scored in the 21st minute to hand his team the lead. With Pasargad playing at a deliberate pace, GAU picked up the tempo in the second half and started pressuring from way back.

Green Archers' resilience paid off as Villareal slotted one in front of the mouth of the goal, the assist courtesy of Chieffy Caligdong off a corner kick. They had several more chances to break the tie, but the ball does not just want to go beyond the goal line. Russel Anthony Pierson was a stonewall of a keeper, frustrating GAU's forays from inside the box as well as Jessie Martindale's booming attempts from beyond.

"Yung first half namin yung pinaka-worst na start. Yung mga players namin medyo off, maraming bad pass kaya naka-goal ang Pasargad," Alicante assessed. "But in the second half, nag-adjust ako. Nag-start ako sa loob muna, pinaikot ko muna yung mga players."

Alicante made changes in front to give his attacking line more teeth with Jovanie Simpron coming in for Tating Pasilan barely five minutes into the second half and Villareal and earlier substitute Park Jun Soo switching positions. This proved to be fruitful as the passes became more accurate, and coupled with fleet footspeed, was able to net a goal but not enough to take the full three points.