THE ATENEO Women’s Fencing Team was defeated by De La Salle University (DLSU) on the third day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Fencing Tournament on Thursday, February 13, at Paco Arena, Manila City. On the slate for the day was the Women’s Foil Team event.
The team’s line-up consisted of Maxine Esteban, Mia Esteban, Jesyca Khoo, and Mikaela Aromin. They went head-to-head with the University of the Philippines in the quarterfinals and cruised past with a score of 45-24. The Blue and White took every bout except against UP‘s Austine Cui.
“We had a really good game because we were helping each other. We motivated each other to fight. But there are still a lot of things we should work on for the finals like attacking and defending,” Khoo said.
In the finals versus DLSU, Maxine Esteban bested Patricia Eusebio, 5-2, to give Ateneo an early lead. DLSU’s Divine Romero fired up an 8-0 run before Mia Esteban pulled Ateneo back in the overall score, 11-13.
La Salle rallied to a four-point lead and managed to hold on until time expired in the bout, staving off a late 5-0 run from Maxine Esteban.
Despite the loss, Mia Esteban was able to find a silver lining in the situation. “I wanted to have fun because, in the end, that matters most. Win or lose, we enjoyed the game,” she said.
The Lady Eagles have a chance to build on their medal tally in the Women’s Epee Team and Women’s Saber Team events on Saturday, February 14, at the Paco Arena, Manila City.
