THE ATENEO Blue Eagles incurred a 0-2 win-loss record on Day 1 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Taekwondo Tournament earlier today at the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
National University match
The National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs swept the Blue and White in a 6-0 team-tie victory, with only one match extending to three rounds.
Fresh off yesterday’s Poomsae triumph, Team Captain Eirenne Lumasang opened Ateneo’s first match of the day by showing promise of reclaiming round two with a small deficit in place. However, last-minute heroics by Lumasang’s foe ended the match in favor of NU, 5-8.
[First Match]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) December 14, 2022
Eirenne Lumasang drops Ateneo’s first team-tie, losing both rounds to NU.
Ateneo 0 NU 1@TheGUIDONSports#UAAPTaekwondo pic.twitter.com/OhGr3suqkY
Co-captain Keir Atendido sustained her first-round struggle into round two as she failed to fend her Lady Bulldog counterpart off, 0-8, handing the second team-tie to NU. Sophomore James Macasaet also carded two consecutive losses despite her valiant attempts to land shots on her NU opponent to flip the script, 0-2.
Meanwhile, Ateneo’s Kenshin Bonos equalized the fourth team-tie by capturing round two with a powerful head kick and a series of swift body kicks. However, her efforts fell short as her Lady Bulldog counterpart dealt her the same deadly blows to the head and the torso in round three, 0-5.
[Fourth Match]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) December 14, 2022
Kenshin Bonos gives Ateneo their first victory in round two, sending the match into a third round.
Ateneo 0 NU 3#UAAPTaekwondo pic.twitter.com/aUA9M01SVt
Junior Beatrice Alvaran and sophomore Camille Samson suffered similar fates at the hands of their NU opponents. The two jins both incurred straight-round losses in their respective matches, ultimately giving the Lady Bulldogs the team-tie win.
De La Salle University match
In the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ team-tie match against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Jins, Lumasang led the charge with a riveting sweep. Eager to bounce back from her NU match defeat, the Atenean jin demolished her DLSU opponent via consecutive head and spinning kicks.
[First Match]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) December 14, 2022
Lumasang’s dominant display gives Ateneo their first match victory of the day, closing out the second round, 8-3.
Ateneo 1 DLSU 0#UAAPTaekwondo pic.twitter.com/WAcxUP7tfX
Succeeding this, Atendido’s hopes of making a round two comeback were shattered by her DLSU Lady Jin rival’s buzzer-beater turning long kick, yielding a 1-1 team-tie score.
Macasaet then cleared her DLSU equal in round two, 7-0, to level both teams’ chances at bagging the third team–tie. However, the Blue Eagle could not get any kicks or punches past her opponent in round three, 0-3, to clinch the team-tie point.
[Third Match]
— Luis Antonio Licas (@Luis_TheGUIDON) December 14, 2022
DLSU narrowly escapes Macasaet with their third round 3-0 upset.
Ateneo 1 DLSU 2#UAAPTaekwondo pic.twitter.com/CM2iucPzGn
As Ateneo’s last representatives for the day, Bonos and Samson bowed out to their DLSU Lady Jin rivals, closing the match in DLSU’s favor for a 1-4 team-tie score.
Despite falling short on their first day of action, Women’s Team Captain Eirenne Lumasang expressed her determination to exceed expectations in their upcoming matches.
“I told the team before the game na alam natin na malalakas ‘yung mga kalaban, pero pinaghirapan natin ‘to, ‘wag lang natin bastang ibigay sa kanila. Let’s give them a good fight,” (I told the team before the game that we know our opponents are tough, but we worked hard for this, we shouldn’t just give this to them. Let’s give them a good fight,) said Lumasang.
“Kahit sabihin natin na underdog tayo, kaya nating palagan, kaya pa ring manalo. A lot can happen in the UAAP, (Even though we’re underdogs, we can still fight, we can still win. A lot can happen in the UAAP,)” the Team Captain added.
The Women’s Team will kick off Day 2 of their UAAP taekwondo tourney tomorrow with matches against the UST Lady Jins, the FEU Lady Jins, and the UP Lady Maroons starting at 8 AM. All games will be held at the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
