Stallion-Laguna overcame newcomer Dynamic Herb Cebu, 1-0, Wednesday, Nov. 10 to clinch the top seed in Group A of the Copa Paulino Alcantara at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite.
Senegalese striker Abou Sy scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute while hefty Abe Placito, a 6-foot-2 American defender, kept Cebu at bay even after being reduced to 10 men to give the Horsemen the full three points.
Earlier, Kaya-Iloilo got two goals from captain Jovin Bedic before thrashing Mendiola FC 1991, 6-0, to emerge as winner of Group B.
Kaya will play Cebu while Stallion takes on either Mendiola or the Azkals Development Team in the semifinals on Nov. 16.
Mendiola and ADT meet tomorrow night to determine the other semis slot in the group.
The Stallion-Cebu contest became a seeding game after last year’s Philippines Football League champion United City decided to withdraw from the country’s top domestic cup competition.
Sy scored past goalkeeper Ace Villanueva and a few defenders for the only goal of the match that became heated past the hour mark when the Stallion’s Yannick Tuason and Cebu’s John Saldivar were each handed a yellow card after the two exchanged words.
Tuason was later sent off for a second yellow when he bumped Saldivar in the 70th.
Earlier, Bedic found the back of the net in the 11th and 35th before Ryo Fujii, Kenshiro Daniels, Daizo Horikoshi and Carlyle Mitchell scored to keep Kaya unbeaten in domestic competitions for the seventh straight time dating back to last year’s PFL.