THE ATENEO Lady Ealges thrashed the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Tigresses, 4-1 on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City to end their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78 Women’s Football campaign on a high note.
First half struggles
The short-handed Eagles were without their graduating stalwarts midfield engine Cam Rodriguez and defensive anchor Kimbo Jimenez. The two were out of commission after both accumulated too many yellow cards and sustained injuries in their match against the University of the Philippines. Instead, the two were found cheering the team on from the stands, barking out instructions, and shouting words of encouragement for their squad.
In the first half, UST looked dangerous as their attackers continuously rushed forward– predominantly during their counterattacks–hoping to catch the Ateneo defense offguard; the Lady Eagles were especially threatened by Martie Bautista’s relentless launches from the byline.
The Blue and White were eventually put on the backfoot in the 39th minute, as centerback Isay Sabio was stretchered off after spraining her right ankle. This resulted in the Katipunan-based squad being forced to play out the last five minutes of the half with only three defenders. Despite the handicap, the Ateneo defended their side well, with every player tracking back to keep from conceeding a goal.
Fullback Julia Sucgang, however, felt that her team was never at a disadvantage. “We’ve been training for defense for the whole season so we already expected the worst,” she said. “Kahit mawala yung isa, kaya pa rin namin (Even if one is missing, we can still do it).”
With both teams scoreless at the half, the Lady Eagles shuffled their backline by bringing in Baci Herrara for the injured Sabio. The substitute slotted
into the left-back position while Sucgang was moved to right-back. Cathy Cabrera then went alongside Annika Ong at centerback while Pam Diaz was also brought in for striker Fiona Faulker to help bolster the Ateneo midfield.
Goal party
The second half witnessed all four goals by the Lady Eagles within the span of 12 electric minutes, with the goal party beginning with Tessa Bernardo in the 71st minute. Annika Ong launched a long free kick into the UST goal, which was then mishandled by the keeper on the catch. Bernardo capitalized on the blunder, as she was the quickest to react to tap the ball in for the 1-o lead.
“At first when they put me in, I was kind of lost. The keeper screwed up, so I went in. After the first I felt I could do more so I got the second one,” Bernardo said.
With momentum running high, Bernardo doubled her account just two minutes later. The striker found herself some space in the UST box and fired a shot to the near post. Although the UST keeper met the shot, the power of the attempt allowed the ball to just creep over the line.
Meanwhile, Bautista–who had been making great runs all game–finally got her well-deserved goal in the 75th minute, as she angled her body and struck a chance on her favored left foot. The UST keeper was helpless as the ball looped over her and into the net for the 3-0 Ateneo lead.
In the 83rd minute, first-half substitute Nona Amoncio scored the Ateneo’s fourth and final goal. Martin, playing in her last game as a Lady Eagle, launched a cross into the UST box, which fell all the way through to Amoncio. The winger displayed great technique when she stretched her right leg high to strike and direct the ball to the far post, leaving the UST keeper with no chance to save it.
Although she was the architect of Amoncio’s goal, Martin was simply making ammends for her earlier mistake. “I just figured: just keep on going,” the team captain said. “There are many big mistakes, but you become a loser if you don’t step up from that. So I chose to be a winner for the team.”
The Lady Tigresses got their consolation goal in the 85th minute as Ateno keeper Mariane Caparros dropped the ball in her own box, which UST’s Cadag easily smashed into the roof of the net. They also had another chance to pull one more back in the 87th minute, but Caparros was excellent in the one-on-one chance, as she made herself big to block the attempt.
“I loved it. It was different. We were fighting and we were just happy. We were enjoying the game,” said Bautista about her team’s performance.[
‘Unbreakable Together’
One of the things Bautista especially gave notice to was the support she got from Rodriguez and Jimenez from the stands. “Even when they can’t play, they were still pushing our team; it was great,” she said.
From her viewpost in the bleachers, Rodriguez expressed her pride in the team. “Even though I wasn’t able to play, I was really confident from the start, no doubt about it.”
She also shared that the match served as a microcosm of their season, saying that it was a fulfillment of their “Unbreakable Together” mantra. “Those four goals wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t all work together. [It was] really [a] team effort.”
Looking back, the Lady Eagles attributed their success not only to each other, but also to the people who came to watch their games this season. “I don’t think I could’ve kept going if it wasn’t for the support of everybody and the faith,” Bautista exclaimed. “It’s all about the faith.”
“We’re glad that we fought ‘til the end,” said graduating Team Captain Rodriguez. “One big fight.”
The win places the Ateneo in third place for the third straight season. The Lady Eagles finished with a total of nine points on a 3-0-5 record, with a –2 goal difference. Although tied with Far Eastern University in terms of points, the Blue and White just managed to edge out last year’s champions in the standings due to +1 goal difference.
THE ATENEO Lady Ealges thrashed the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Tigresses, 4-1 on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the McKinley Hill Stadium in Taguig City to end their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78 Women’s Football campaign on a high note.
Reports by Vincent D. Soliven
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/awft-vs-ust
