DEFENDING champions Don Bosco Technological Center (DBTC) and the University of San Carlos (USC) opened their title defense in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) football tournament with identical 2-0 victories at the Cebu City Sports Center.
DBTC, the perennial favorites in the high school division, blanked USC-Basic Education Department 2-0 thanks to goals by Robert Daanoy and Anthony Talingting.
In the first game, former champion Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu defeated the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) 2-0 with Kian Juaqine Pimentel and Zidane Canete scoring just four minutes apart in the 21st and 25th minutes.
Meanwhile, six-time defending champion USC, which already has nine titles to its name, thwarted a game University of the Philippines Cebu College, 2-0, in its debut.
John Cyril Sinoy got the opener in the 28th minute but UP managed to fend off the USC offense, conceding the second goal only five minutes from time.
In the first game, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation fended off USJ-R, 1-0, thanks to a 38-minute goal by John Rey Arino.
Next Sunday, DBTC will take on old rival Ateneo in the first game, while USC-BED will try to bounce back against USJ-R. In the college division, USJ-R, an eight-time champion, will face USC, while UP will face USPF.
The tournament uses the double round robin format with the team that wins all its matches getting crowned as the automatic champion.