Eagles outlast Bulls in Ultimate

By Henniequel Shayne G. Acobo

On March 3, the SBM Eagles claimed gold against the Aggie Bulls in an intense Ultimate match at the XU Soccer Field, 14-10.

The Bulls began with a three-point lead against the Eagles, 5-2, motivated after a successful universal point from their semifinal match. But despite a rough start, the Eagles caught up and closed the gap, 8-8. With both teams bustling to break the tie, a give and take of points ensued.

The Bulls were struggling in their own agility as multiple players started having leg cramps. This did not discourage them, but fueled them to defend their guard and take on another lead, 9-8. Yet as persevering as the Bulls were, the Eagles were just starting to soar, immediately enforcing a deadlock as they landed a point of their own, 9-9.

With four minutes left on the clock, the Eagles managed to turn the game in their favor, breaking the Bulls’ momentum, 11-10. After extending their lead with two more points, the Eagles left the Bulls no room to catch up.

As the clock ran out, the Eagles took the game as they secured their final point of the match, 1410.

Originally a race to 15 points, the championship match had to be cut short due to time constraints. The final score was 14-10, which was also the biggest point gap in their two–hour long game.

For Viernes, every second of the match counted. He stressed that it was important to never lose hope until the end. More than that, the mindset he instilled on his team led them straight

Eagles quickly responded with another three-tonothing run–two of which were middle attacks and one from an ace. From then, the Eagles consistently made their way to close the match, 25-23.

The Eagles soared higher past their second set performance in the third after the Pythons’ 11 attack errors and after they tallied seven off-attack points, six service aces, and a block, securing a sixpoint lead, 25-19.

Behind the Eagles’ 25-20 second set win off several runs throughout the set was Loyola’s enormous contributions that powered them in tying the set to 1-1 after being down in the first.

But even so, the Pythons, led by their top scorer April Macale, showed a great playing performance, especially when they established a 10-1 run against the Eagles in closing the first set, 25-20.

It was a tournament sweep for the Eagles; a great accomplishment for the Pythons who came in second place, and a notable achievement for the ArtScies Tigers to finish third, thereby putting an end to the Eng’g Warriors’ playoff streak.C to victory. “The confidence that I bring out boosts the confidence of my teammates,” he mentioned. He consistently reminded himself and his team “to always play like a champion.”

True to their captain’s vision, the Eagles rose above the occasion as they claimed the Ultimate title. Meanwhile, the Bulls settled for silver while the ArtScies Tigers took the bronze.C