Greggy Yang & Adrianne Yñiguez: The pillars of La Salle’s defense

To the ordinary fan, goals are the most beautiful sight at any football match because of the combination of skills, precision and timing necessary to complete one. On the other end of the spectrum, defenders aim to outhustle and outsmart their crafty opponents to prevent them from scoring these goals. Leading the defense is no joke, and just one mistake could be the difference between winning and losing.

It may seem like a thankless job, but playing good defense is essential for victory in just about any team sport. The leaders of the defense for the DLSU Green Booters and Lady Booters are no exception and they know how important their roles are for their teams to win.

“I am literally the eyes of the team. If there’s anyone who should be talking during the whole game, it’s me. If we are doing badly on defense, I alone should get blamed,” shares third year sweeper Greggy Yang of the Green Booters.

The Lady Booters’ sweeper, Adrianne Yñiguez adds her own take on the job of a sweeper as she shares, “I think my role is to lead the team and at the same time set the pace so that we play as one unit altogether. My mindset while playing is that I’ve got to cover for all of my teammates and they will cover for me too.”

Though both players now excel on defense, Yang and Yñiguez did not enter college as defensive players, but DLSU head coach Hans Smit saw the potential to be great defenders in them.

“I wasn’t originally a defender. Coach [Smit] just needed someone to play the position and I guess he trusted me to do it,” says Yñiguez, a fifth year BS-BIO major.

Yang, a graduate of PAREF Southridge School shares how he ended up a defender, narrating “Usually when you’re younger you start out as a defender if you’re one of the chunkier guys. For a long time though I played midfield from Grade 5 to my senior year of high school because I got bored defending.”

He then adds an interesting side note, “Coach Hans [Smit], who was also my coach in the Gothia Cup [in Sweden] when I was 15 years old put me on defense and when I got to La Salle he did it again. I started as a right back when I was a rookie, but coach moved me to sweeper last year. It’s a promotion responsibility wise.”

These two embattled defenders have come a long way since they first started playing football and they coincidentally had similar beginnings. Yñiguez, an alumna of University of Baguio Science High School, picked up the sport from her older brothers. “They’re the ones who influenced me and also, playing football runs in my family,” she adds.

The third year BS-IE major Yang was influenced by his older siblings as well, but in his case, it was his two sisters who both suited up for the Lady Booters in the early part of the 2000s. “My eldest sister started playing the sport and I picked it up because of her. You know how your family says ‘you na rin’ and encourages you to join,” recalls the reigning UAAP Defender of the Year.

Aside from the similarities in their back story though, Yang and Yñiguez both possess a tireless work ethic and a great motor on the field that keeps them active and alert on defense throughout the 90 minutes of each match. Entering their respective campaigns in UAAP Season 76, both players will be essential factors in the championship aspirations of their squads as they seek to end their title droughts. The talents of these two players coupled with their praiseworthy attitudes make one all the more confident about La Salle’s chances this year.

Yñiguez proudly shares, “My mindset is to never give up until the last whistle blows.”

“We have to win the championship. We can’t have it any other way,” declares a determined Yang.