Lady Booters sunder through PFL campaign

With their UAAP campaign just a few months away, the DLSU Lady Booters have begun their build-up for their quest to bring back the Women’s Football Championship back to Taft Avenue. Since June, head coach Hans Smit’s squad has participated in the Pinay Futbol League, a women’s football tournament organized by Pinay Futbol, an association that aims to promote the sport around the country through fair play, empowerment and passion since 2011. Smit also serves as the tournament director and aside from being at the helm for the Lady Booters, he also handles the De La Salle Santiago Zobel High School Girls’ Football Team, the youngest in the tournament.

The Lady Booters have used this tournament as a way to showcase their rookies as well in order to help determine the final line-up come the beginning of the UAAP. Experiments in the line-ups were common and despite this, they have managed to secure third place in the standings with just one game remaining after it was postponed due to the heavy rains in late June.

The team started out on a high note with a 2-0 victory over the UP Lady Maroons on the first weekend of the tournament last June 2, but they struggled over their next three games against their UAAP rivals. A 0-1 loss at the hands of UST the following week was followed by a draw with ADMU six days later. Then in a rematch of the UAAP Season 75 finals wherein the Lady Booters emerged as the runner-up, La Salle was outclassed by FEU, 1-3, as they slid down the standings with a record of one win, two losses and one draw.

Things started to look up for the Lady Booters though as they won their next three games, scoring a total of 14 goals in the process. Their first win in the run was against Green Archers United, a club team founded by La Salle alumni, wherein they won, 3-0, in convincing manner. The following weekend, they came away with a 5-1 conquest of Chelsea FC Philippines, a local subsidiary of the internationally renowned football club. Their next victory came at the expense of their younger counterparts from Zobel whom they topped in lopsided fashion, 6-1.

Due to the rains last June 30, the Lady Booters’ match against Sikat FC has been postponed to the first weekend of August. This will serve as their last match for the tournament as they try to pick up their fifth win to improve on their current 4-2-1 standing which puts them behind just FEU and UST.