Jerome Abarca had an opening day to remember as he led the University of the East (UE) to a 5-1 win against De La Salle University to open the UAAP Season 85 men’s football tournament with a bang at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Football Field on Sunday, February 19.

The rookie forward from Butuan City scored thrice in the first 45 minutes of the game. He leveled the contest in the 13th minute and put the ball at the back of the net in the 22nd and 38th minutes to give UE a commanding lead.

“Very lucky ‘yung isa kong player, si Abarca number 30,” Red Warriors coach Fitch Arboleda said.

“Pinagtiyagaan ko ‘yan the whole week. Kahit nung isang araw, hindi pa ‘yan maka-shoot,” he said.

“Lahat ng ginawa namin for the whole week bago mag-start ‘yung first game, nag-pay off naman so ‘yun, happy ako sa result,” he continued.

In between Abarca’s heroics, Edmar Adonis slotted one home for the Red Warriors with a fine finish in the 15th minute.

With a three-goal cushion at the halftime break, UE managed to add to its tally in the second half to truly kill off any chance of a La Salle comeback.

Eldrin Madrid executed a perfect one-touch finish in the 52nd minute to put the exclamation mark on the Red Warriors’ perfect afternoon.

“‘Yun nga, sinasabi ko lang talaga sa kanila — one game at a time,” Arboleda said.

Before the Red Warriors went on a rampage, they conceded an early goal from La Salle’s Stephen del Rosario in the eighth minute of the match.

Red Warriors goalkeeper Lance Bencio also had a standout game, epitomized by his fine save against Jovan Marfiga’s first-half penalty. (ABS-CBN News)