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| Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Despite playing sans Chris Greatwich the rest of the way because of a red card, Kaya survived the Ceres challenge and took the UFL Cup title in front of a raucous Rizal Memorial Stadium crowd on Friday night.
The match, like Kaya's semifinal win against Stallion, boiled down to a shootout, and goalie Nick O'Donnell, tagged by the Ultras Kaya as the "Wonderwall", once again delivered.
After making three huge saves during the regulation and extra time, O'Donnell stopped Paul Mulders and Martin Steuble's shootout tries, and those proved vital in Kaya's shootout win.
"[This win is] unbelievable. It just shows we have so much character. We're a man down, but we stayed. After 120 minutes all the way to the shootout, we came up on top. It's the best feeling ever. I can't describe it," O'Donnell told the press after the 4-2 shootout championship clincher.
Now a champion in the play-for-pay ranks following a stellar collegiate career with Ateneo, O'Donnell described Kaya's UFL Cup title, its first silverware since 2009, as a bigger bacon he can bring home than his UAAP titles.
"Without a doubt. This one is bigger. It's a whole new level," he continued.
With Kaya also earning a spot in the AFC Cup qualifiers, O'Donnell feels more ecstatic about it.
He further said, "I can't wait. [The AFC Cup] has been our goal. It's been a longer season. We trained everyday, and it paid off. Our goal has been reached."
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