Taking home the championship title, the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers thrashed Business and Management (BM) Vipers 2-0 in the finals of the Palarong Atenista 2022 football mixed league. 

Both squads wasted no time going toe-to-toe in the first period, but the SON Panthers scored the earliest back of the net with Kynan Dimaandal’s drop kick near the 50-second mark of the match.

In the latter half, the Panthers’ Team Captain and Final’s Player of the Game (POG) Jigger Martinito secured the 2-point margin with a pass from Dimaandal. The same goal resulted in BM Vipers’ goalkeeper Kieffer Salido’s injury, prompting a timeout.  

The Panthers displayed class act with Martinito and Dimaandal assisting Salido before the match resumed with Vipers’ substitute defensive. Shortly after, another player from the BM cluster suffered an injury but managed to stand up later to finish the game.

Despite BM Vipers’ efforts to challenge the run of play after subsequent injuries, SON Panthers’ goalkeeper managed to keep a clean sheet at Azuela Cove Soccer Field.

The SON Panthers, via SAMAHAN’s live coverage, revealed that winning does not really matter as long as they “achieve the team’s happiness,” which is to enjoy the game and have fun after a two-year face-to-face Palaro drought.  

In the post-match interview, Panthers’ Team Captain Martinito admitted that the win was unexpected, saying the POG title was “tsamba lang.”

From the same squad in white jerseys, Panther Noie Balahay further revealed they only practiced for a day to meet their teammates and have chemistry.

“The training we had helped our team to know the skills of our teammates and how we can play the game and have fun,” Balahay told Atenews.

Viper goalkeeper Salido said playing against the Panthers was difficult. “Something that I could learn about in the future, and I will correct myself for my mistakes [in the match],” he described.   

“We practiced three times a week so that we can refresh what we did two years back,” Salido shared.

BM Vipers came second to SON Panthers in the football league mixed division, followed by the School of Engineering and Architecture Tigers in third and Social Sciences Dragons in fourth.

All games of the football mixed category, from eliminations to finals, took place at Azuela Cove Soccer Field on July 31.