Late-blooming University of Santo Tomas scored their second straight win, thumping Ateneo de Manila, 1-0, in their penultimate game in the UAAP men’s football tournament Sunday at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman.

Ghanaian striker Daniel Nartey took matters on his own boots, goaling a running past two Ateneo defenders and the goalkeeper for the lone goal in the 36th minute.

The goal was a confidence-booster for the Growling Tigers, as the Blue Eagles failed to have an on target-shot after a header attempt by Sky Guerrero hit the crossbar in the 32nd minute.

Nartey had a chance for a brace to pad UST’s lead in the 72nd minute but his rebound off a miss by Kyler Escobar but was saved by goalkeeper Artuz Cezar.

The win completed a season sweep of UST against the defending champions as they blanked them, 2-0, in the first round.

“Tapos na kami kay Ateneo. Binigyan kami ng chance ni Ateneo so buhay pa kami for the top four kasi yung ibang teams maglalaban pa,” said UST head coach Marjo Allado.

With the win, UST jumped to fourth place, overtaking UP and the University of the East, after languishing in 6th place for almost the entire season.

They currently have 16 points off five wins, matching the win total of the top three teams Far Eastern University, Ateneo de Manila, and De La Salle University.

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