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JP Voltes stuns Ceres on a lone Angeles strike

Alen Angeles and JP Voltes capped off the UFL season with another giant-killing.

By Kevin Estrada

MANILA-- Even as the curtains fall on the final match of the United Football League season, JP Voltes ended their campaign with a huge upset on their own with second-placed Ceres their final victim of their giant-killing Sunday evening at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Alen Angeles became player-manager Yu Hoshide's answer to their attacking problems, firing the lone strike on a rebound from Takumi Uesato's shot in the 41st minute that defeated the deposed titlists, 1-0 to finish their campaign on 41 points, tied with their victims and th Loyola but went down on fourth as they net only a +35 goal difference.

Ceres would eventually get their precious place in the AFC Cup next season by their superior +91 goal difference, but that came with a price with their lack of firepower and lack of discipline that got Stephan Schrock and Manny Ott tossed to their changing rooms, reducing them to nine men at the full time whistle.

Schrock got his marching orders from Steve Supresencia four minutes before the Angeles goal, with Ott joining him in added time for violent conduct on assistant Dan Padernal.

The Busmen's dominance of possessions at 60% could only muster 3 shots the entire match which was largely credited by the defense led of Masaki Yanagawa, with Nelson Gasic made huge saves down the stretch en route to his 10th clean sheet of the season.

Nelson Gasic picked up his 10th clean sheet of the season, but not before enduring a lot of Ceres crosses that came in his box.

Voltes' win avenged their June 18 setback to the same Bacolod side when they also went a man and a goal up at the half, becoming the lone side to beat the top 3 finishers of the league this season that included champions Global at least once.

"Actually, our target, was I can say AFC. Half of me is happy, but half of me is not so happy," the former Global vet expressed his mixed views after the match, but they already learned their lessons from their first round encounter with Ceres.

Follow him on Twitter: @KevinLEstrada