UP, UE, UST eye to hold on to lofty rankings

MANILA, Philippines — Three teams seek to maintain their place atop the standings on Thursday in the 80th UAAP men's football hostilities at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

University of the Philippines and University of the East, both needing late second half goals to prevail in their respective season openers, vie for a second victory at 2 p.m.

Also aiming for maximum points is University of Santo Tomas, which plays Adamson University at 9 a.m.

De La Salle and Far Eastern University clash to cap a three-match bill at 4 p.m.

The one-game juniors championship between eight-peat seeking FEU-Diliman and De La Salle-Zobel in a rematch of last season's Finals, meanwhile, is set at 6:30 p.m.

The Fighting Maroons, the Red Warriors and the Growling Tigers are level with three points following last Sunday's conquests.

UP turned to JB Borlongan to beat defending champion Ateneo, 1-0, while Jasper Absalon powered UE to a 1-0 win over National University.

UST posted the most lopsided victory, as the Tigers drew a hat-trick from Marvin Bricenio in a 4-0 rout of the shorthanded Tamaraws.

The Green Archers and the Falcons—The last two teams to open the season and squads which failed to make it to the Final Four last year, hope to rebound and make an impact this time around.