By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The elimination phase of the U19 Governor’s Cup wrapped up on Sunday, November 16, finalizing team rankings and setting the pairings for the leg type semifinals.

DBTI-Elan Vita clinched the top spot in Group A to lead the knockout round.

STI-WNU posted one of the day’s most emphatic results with a 5-1 victory over Ponte-Isa, but still settled for the No. 2 seed in the group.

UNO-Recoletos (UNO-R) secured its target of finishing second after a 1-1 draw with San Carlos City.

UNO-R struck early in the first half and held on as San Carlos struggled to convert its chances.

Rounding out Group A were USLS-Bacolod in third place, Ponte-Isa in fourth and CHF at the bottom.

In Group B, the City of Kabankalan FC defeated ADA-Bacolod, 3-0, to move up to fourth place.

CASAMA ended in third after bowing to San Carlos the previous day.

ADA-Bacolod exited the eliminations winless and scoreless.

With the standings settled, the tournament now advances to the leg type semifinals in the traditional crossover format:

* Semifinal 1: Group A No. 1 DBTI-Elan Vita versus Group B No. 2 UNO-Recoletos

* Semifinal 2: Group B No. 1 San Carlos City versus Group A No. 2 STI-WNU

The semifinal round is expected to deliver high-intensity football as the province’s top U19 squads battle for places in the championship match./ASC, WDJ