THE ATENEO Women’s Football Team (AWFT) struggled to make their mark as they conceded to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Golden Booters, 0-2, remaining winless in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Football Tournament. The match was held earlier today at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Field.
The España-based booters made quick work of the Blue Eagles, wasting no time in setting the tone for the rest of the match. Nathalie Absalon powered through the defense and found the net in just the first minute of the game, notching UST’s first goal, 0-1.
Despite the early goal, keeper Adirelle Lee provided pivotal stops for the AMFT, parrying multiple attempts from the Lady Golden Booters. A chance for Ateneo would come minutes later when Soleil Schroth’s shot missed the post by a couple of inches.
[First Half]
— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) March 25, 2023
24’ – A crucial save from Ateneo keeper Lee gives the Blue Eagles time to shape up their tactics.
Ateneo 0 UST 1#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/2eKBLzA7dI
Defender Gabbie Tuaño had an excellent string of defensive stops at the final minute of added time, locking down on two consecutive chances for UST and preventing any further mishaps to close out the first half.
[First Half]
— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) March 25, 2023
45’ + 3 – The Blue Eagles power through their opponents’ offensive tactics to bring an end to the first half.
Ateneo 0 UST 1#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/yQ3943QW3H
However, the same sequence that led to the Lady Golden Booters’ first goal came back to haunt the Blue Eagles at the start of the second half. Within just a minute from the whistle, Absalon curled the ball into the net at the 46th minute of the match to slot in their second goal, 0-2.
The AMFT would get an opportunity at the 53rd minute with Traci Lim’s free kick, which went directly into the hands of UST’s keeper. Shortly after, the Lady Golden Booters would go on a quick attack that forced Ateneo’s Lee to defend outside the box, leading to an attempt that missed by just a couple of inches.
Lim would serve as the catalyst for the Blue Eagles’ offense for the rest of the half, with a powerful shot that narrowly sailed above the crossbar at the 60th minute.
[Second Half]
— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) March 25, 2023
60’ – Lim’s second shot at a goal skies above the crossbar.
Ateneo 0 UST 2#UAAPFootball pic.twitter.com/wS5GtWI2pI
Another free-kick for Ateneo by Astrid Ignacio at the 77th minute failed to get past the opposing keeper. With fatigue slowly kicking in, both sides were unable to capitalize on their chances until the final whistle.
“Sa second round, focus namin ‘yung fitness. Maraming injuries ngayon, kaya focus muna kami sa aming recovery (For the second round, our focus will be on fitness. We have a lot of injuries right now, so we’ll focus on our recovery first.),” said Team Captain Patty Francisco on the team’s outlook moving forward.
The Blue Eagles end the first round of games with a 0-0-4 win-draw-loss record on their plate. The schedule for the next round of games has yet to be released.
