Reigning champion Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) and challengers University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle Zobel, and PAREF Southridge clash in the Final Four of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 boys’ football tournament today at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Stadium.

Seeking their 13th straight crown, the topseed Baby Tamaraws will take on the fourth-placed Admirals at 4:30 p.m. while second-placed Junior Golden Booters and third-placed Junior Archers will face off at 7 p.m. with the winners of both matches heading to the finals set on 29 March.

FEU-D is coming into the semifinals in impressive form, winning nine of its 10 elimination round assignments.

The only time the Baby Tamaraws dropped points, though, came against Southridge last 22 February in a 1-1 draw, which denied them an outright ticket to the finals.

Moreover, the Diliman-based school has rookie striker Jerriemy Biton, who is leading the league’s goal scoring table with nine goals.

After seeing his Baby Tamaraws wrap up the eliminations with a 3-2 victory over last season’s final foils Junior Golden Booters last Saturday, FEU-D coach Jake Morallo said that it’s back to the drawing board for them as they prepare for Southridge.

“I think for us, we just need to prepare,” Morallo said.

“I think each team has its own strengths. Maybe we need to bring back our winning mentality. We will have to play as a group again. The problems we have in our game — our finishing, our attacking pace — those are the things we need to improve.”

Southridge, one of two guest schools invited for the first time in the league, is eyeing to extend its impressive debut campaign in Season 87 behind the efforts of forward Francis Poticano and goalkeeper Polo Tansingco.

Aside from holding the Baby Tamaraws to a draw, the Admirals’ impressive second round performances saw them earn wins against the Junior Archers and fellow guest team Claret Red Roosters, and formally enter the Final Four last Saturday by drawing the Ateneo Blue Eagles in one of the season’s most competitive matches.

Dethroning the Biton and the rest of the Baby Tamaraws may be a daunting task for most but the Admirals are on a great run and are eager to harness their momentum to extend this breakthrough campaign of theirs.

“We will try to prepare for them,” Southridge’s Ghanaian coach Sam Bonney said.

“It is what it is. Definitely, we want to go to the final. So we’ll do our best and see how the game will go. Once we get there, we will know what to do.”

Whoever wins between FEU-D and Southridge will eagerly anticipate the next match between UST and La Salle.