THE ATENEO Lady Booters went down against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 0-1, on Sunday, November 30, at the Moro Lorenzo Field in Ateneo.

A quick shot by Christille Ardiente in the ninth minute gave the lead to the Fighting Maroons, which they nursed until the end of the game.

Ateneo’s Therese Martin had a great chance at goal in the 31st minute, but she overcooked the shot and it went over the bar.

Three minutes later, UP’s Marie Huff committed a hard foul on Ateneo’s Mia Catedrilla. This eventually led to Catedrilla being replaced by Annika Ong in the 44th minute as she hobbled back to the dugout.

One minute of extra time was given the referee crew, which changed nothing as the game entered half time with the score 1-0 in favour of UP.

Ateneo went on the aggressive in the second half, pumping crosses into UP’s box but could not find a hole in the defense. A great cross by Camille Rodriguez almost connected with Ong’s head but it was an inch too high.

By the 76th minute, Ateneo’s Marie Cadayona suffered an injury which needed her to be stretchered off the pitch. The issue was eventually confirmed as cramps by the medical officials.

Despite the long stoppage for Cadayona’s injury treatment, the officiating crew only gave two minutes of extra time for the second half. Despite the Lady Booters’ best efforts, the final whistle blew with the score still at 1-0.

“We lost in [terms of] focus and concentration,” said Ateneo’s Coach Robert Manlulo in a mix of English and Filipino as he described the loss.

The defeat means the Lady Booters are now at 0-1 in the standings with a -1 goal difference as they prepare to face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Sunday, December 7, 1 PM at the FEU-Diliman Field.