2014 for La Salle sports was a year of mixed fortunes. Along with the triumphs that came, there were huge setbacks and “what if” moments that continue to linger for many of us.
Nevertheless, despite everything that has happened, every year we get the opportunity to watch and support our teams will always be something special.
For our yearender, we round up the good, the bad and the ugly moments of 2014.
The Good: It was a double treat for the DLSU Table Tennis team as they won the championship in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
The Good: The DLSU Women’s chess team captured their fourth-straight UAAP title.
The Good: DLSU repeated as UAAP general champions, finishing 1st in 6 events.
The Good: The Green Archers win the 2014 Fil-Oil Flying-V Preseason title with a come-from-behind finals win over San Beda.
The Bad: With a 9-1 record at the end of the elimination round, it looked as though the DLSU Men’s baseball team would finally end their decade-long title drought. Sadly, they were swept by Ateneo in the finals.
The Bad: The CSB Blazers had everything going for them at the start of the year with an intact, veteran-laden lineup with the hopes of ending an 11-year Final 4 dry spell. They were the hottest team in the NCAA at one point, even putting themselves in contention for a top 2 finish in the eliminations.
Unfortunately, it was not enough as they lost two crucial games towards the end to miss the semis yet again, just one game behind the 4th seed.
The Bad: Despite missing the services of last season’s mythical 5 member Ara Abaca, the defending champion DLSU Lady Archers managed to finish the eliminations in second place with a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs. A finals rematch against eventual champion NU however did not happen as they were upset twice by FEU.
The Bad: The Green Archers failed to defend the PCCL title and end 2014 on a high note. The Good thing here though is that we finally got to see this guy play.
The Ugly: At the beginning of the UAAP season, the DLSU Green Archers were the consensus favorite to repeat as champions. Why not? They were coming in with an intact roster that was upgraded even further.
But as they say, games are won on the court and not on paper. And that buzzer-beater was indeed the final blow to a painful season.
The Ugly: The Lady Spikers’ three-year title run ended in the most devastating way imaginable. What could be more painful than being dethroned despite sweeping the eliminations and having the thrice-to-beat in the finals.
The best part of a new year is that we get to start all over again. For some, it’s a chance to redeem themselves from past mistakes while for others, an opportunity to sustain the success they had this year.
The year had its ups and downs but we still certainly enjoyed the ride.
Here’s wishing for a better 2015.