ILOILO CITY --- A relentless offense turned out to be the best defense for Negros Occidental.

Playing together as a team for the first time, the Negrenses showed great cohesion, blanking Masbate, 5-0, for its initial win in the PFF National Men's Open Championships at the Central Philippine University pitch here.

"This is actually a warm-up for us. It's the first time this team has played together and I am happy with the result," NOFA XI mentor Freddie Lazarito told the DAILY STAR.

With the Negrenses controlling 80 percent of possession, Masbate hardly threatened and five different players scored for Negros in the one-sided victory, including Southeast Asian Games campaigner Jerome Orcullo, who played with great resolve at midfield and created the best scoring opportunities for his team.

So dominating were the Negros booters that had it not been for the goal-posts, they would have finished the game in double digits as Orcullo, Floriano Pasilan and Frederick Jan Serios were each twice denied by the woodwork.

Defenders Ziggy Tonog, Joel Ballo-Allo and Carlos Bolo and goalkeeper Archie Bayquin had a relatively easy time as Orcullo, Jason Panhay and Ali Rojas dictated the tempo at midfield.

Serios of the University of St. La Salle capitalized on a goalkeeper's error, neatly scoring a rare tap-in in the second minute to set the tone for the rout, before a header by Reydric Viliran on the hour mark pushed Negros ahead, 2-0.

A bristling attack in the final 10 minutes saw Floriano Pasilan Jr., reinforcement Jerome Orcullo, and Dexter Dean Vesario producing brilliant goals in the 81st, 88th and 92nd minutes, respectively. The Negrenses' task of winning the crown last won in 2002 on home turf, however, are far from over. A win against Zamboanga at 1:30 p.m. today at the La Paz pitch will place them in the semis, where they are expected to face either three-peat seeking NCR or host Iloilo.

Meanwhile, Team Biscocho House-Iloilo drew a hat-trick from Dan Padernal and a double from Kenley Delgado in a convincing 5-0 win over Iligan in Bracket B at the La Paz ballfield, while tournament debutant North Cotabato blanked Zamboanga, 5-0 at the Sta. Barbara pitch.

Over at the Barotac Nuevo ballfield, defending champion NCR routed Baguio, 4-1, with Ian Araneta scoring twice.

With 12 of its players enjoying a homecoming of sorts at the Barotac Nuevo pitch, NCR put on a show, racing to a 3-0 lead at halftime, after getting contributions from Spanish midfielder Luis Lozano and Araneta, before another hometown hero Emilio Caligdong sealed the win for NCR with a left-footed strike just inside the box three minutes from time.

Regarded as the tournament's surprise package, the booters from M'lang, North Cotabato, who advanced to this tournament after beating Davao in the regional qualifying, hung tough in the face of Zamboanga's assault.

A counter-attack saw Gerald John Maldo getting a pinpoint lob and finishing it with an unstoppable right-footed strike in the 25th minute and midfielder Bonifacio Mangga Jr. placed the outcome beyond doubt with a header in the 87th minute.*CPT

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