THE ATENEO Women’s Football Team (AWFT) opened their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) campaign with a loss to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Booters, 0-1. The match was held earlier today at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, Cavite.
The Blue Eagles struggled to find their footing in the opening minutes of the match as they struggled to piece together their defensive strategy. While the AWFT developed a more offensive play during their preseason tournaments, their preparations were unable to materialize as they found it difficult to keep pace against their rivals from Taft. Despite their lack of offense, which handed the Lady Booters more scoring opportunities, goalkeeper Chelssy Casals stood her ground and denied DLSU of their first goal in the first 15 minutes of the game.
In an attempt to find a breakthrough, Jada Bicciero came through from the right flank with a close scoring opportunity, but was denied by the Lady Booter defenders. DLSU maintained control of the match with more scoring opportunities but were continuously denied by Casals’ quick reflexes.
Eager to turn the tide, Bicierro applied offensive pressure for ball possession as she went head-to-head with DLSU’s Stephanie Gone. Despite Bicierro’s efforts to get ahead, the Lady Booters sustained their dominance even further. Casals continued to serve as the lifeline for the Blue Eagles after successfully denying the Lady Booters another goal in the first half of the match.
Regardless of being tested in the first half, the Blue Eagles welcomed the opening sequences of the second half with winner instincts. Determined to remain at the frontline of defense, Casals continued to challenge DLSU’s high press offensive tactics by her critical stop against Mikaela Villacin’s close-range attempts in the 50th minute.
The succeeding frames of the match saw a back-and-forth between Villacin and Casals. Despite the arduous gatekeeping of the veteran keeper, Elisha Lubiano headed in the Lady Booters’ first goal on her first attempt with Casals in the 51st minute, 0-1.
Determined to bounce back, Ateneo remained steady on the defense with Angely Alferez and Chrisia Espiritu spearheading the pillar-to-post of the Blue and White. Undeterred by their formidable foes, Alferez persisted in opening scoring opportunities for Ateneo by threading the ball to all ends of the field. Consequently, Astrid Ignacio attempted from close range to score for the Blue Eagles in the 75th minute. However, her efforts fell short when Jessica Pido closed in on the attempt.
Down the stretch, the rivals embraced the battle of productive possessions–with DLSU aiming to increase their advantage and Ateneo sighting for an equalizer. Yet, several Lasallian attempts went wide by the 84th minute, leaving them with only a one-nil advantage by stoppage time.
The added minutes saw DLSU imposing physicality on the equally aggressive Salazar, who was circling in an attempt for the Blue Eagles in the 91st minute. However, Ateneo lingered on missed opportunities when KC Zalamea got the ball over the crossbar during the free kick.
Hoping to bounce back in the team standings, the Blue Eagles are set to face the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws next Saturday, September 27, at 6:30 PM in the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
Starting XI:
Ateneo (0): Casals (GK), Zalamea (C) , Scroth, Fransisco, Halili, Samonte, Salazar, Alferez Villanueva, Bicierro, Eval
DLSU (0): Pido (GK), Santiago, Lubiano, Soon, Gone (C), Danoso, Alforque, Villacin, Layacan, Banzon, Tanjangco
Standings – Points (Goal Difference):
- DLSU Lady Booters – 3 (+1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles – 0 (-1)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws – 0
- UP Fighting Maroons – 0
- UST Lady Booters – 0
