THE ATENEO Lady Eagles commenced round two with another tough outing, succumbing to the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 1-3, on their eighth matchday of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Chess Tournament at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday, October 7.
The Lady Eagles opted for the same lineup as their last match against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors as promising rookies Alex Oseña and Laila Nadera were deployed on the first and third board, respectively. Veteran Merlene Membrere took second board duties while Mine Sandoval concluded the matchday at the fourth board.
The rookie duo turned out to be the lone bright spots for the Lady Eagles, salvaging half a point each with draws on their respective boards. Nadera had an encouraging start to her match against Lady Falcon Abigail Tamundong, equalizing position early on from the black side. The match at the third board progressed with back-and-forth action from both sides, with neither player gaining a significant edge. Nadera had a chance to win by the endgame since Tamundong was a pawn down, but due to a repetition of moves the match was ruled as a draw.
The veterans, on the other hand, did not have the finest showings versus Adamson, dropping both of their matches. Despite being able to capture her opponent’s pawn at the preliminary stages of the match, Membrere struggled to separate herself against Lady Falcon Jean Paula de la Cruz at the second board. Sandoval followed suit in her match against Jashua Patria at the final board, failing to secure a point as well.
Reflecting on the loss, Sandoval remarked that the Lady Eagles need to be more calm and collected during their matches and not let the pressure get the best of them. “We need to trust ourselves more and gain more composure during the game,” Sandoval explained.
“We need to rely on each other especially after the game. Dapat ‘di kami ganun ma-pressure during and learn to just enjoy the game. Sometimes sa pressure ng game we forget to enjoy, [which is why] ‘di nilalabas ‘yung best.”
The loss maintains Ateneo’s position at seventh place in the standings with 8.5 points. Adamson, on the other hand, jumped to 12 points for the season, good for fifth place.
The Lady Eagles will try to bounce back in their next match against the UST Lady Tigresses on Saturday, October 11, 1:00 PM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
