UAAP: Lady Booters fall to FEU, 2-1

Despite a second-half surge, the DLSU Lady Booters faltered against the UAAP Season 76 Champion FEU Lady Tamaraws, 2-1, last January 10 at the Moro Lorenzo Football Field of Ateneo de Manila University.

Early Woes

The Lady Tamaraws gave DLSU’s defenders all they could handle throughout the first half of play.  FEU already had multiple attempts on goal in the first ten minutes alone and took control of the tempo.  The Taft-based squad had chances of their own with on-goal attempts but the UAAP defending champions would still dominate on the ball possessions.  La Salle was also prone to defensive errors and miscommunications which proved to be costly later on in the match.

On the 15th minute, Lady Tamaraw Joy Fagaragan registered the first goal of the match after weaving through the loose defense of the Lady Booters.  DLSU still struggled to keep possession of the ball due to the Tamaraws’ defensive line and neutralized the Lady Booters’ attacks for much of the half.  FEU would add another goal to the tally before the end of the half as Rookie Marie Lecera heads in a perfect pass off a corner kick.  The half ended with FEU having a commanding lead of 2-0 against the Green-and-White.

True Heart

After conceding two goals in the first half, the Lady Booters made the necessary adjustments in the second half. Even though they still struggled in trying to contain the continuous attacks of the Lady Tamaraws, the Lady Booters were able to regroup and orchestrate their own counter attacks. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams where the Lady Tamaraws made several attempts on goal, while the Lady Booters would defend them and launch a counterattack of their own.  As the game reached the 62nd minute mark, the Lady Booters found an opening. A lob pass to DLSU striker Chelo Hodges, who was able to launch the ball over the keeper and into the top corner, put the Lady Booters on the scoreboard, 2-1.

With 25 minutes left in regular time, it was definitely game on. It was an intense battle for possession and it seemed like every attack from each team had the potential to produce a goal. There were a number of close attempts by both teams but both goalies were able to defend their goals successfully on each occasion. As the match entered into the additional time period, the Lady Booters tried desperately to find an equalizer but to no avail. As time expired, the final score was 2-1 in favor of the Lady Tamaraws.

The head coach of the Lady Booters, Hans Smit, expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the game. He points out the different crucial errors committed by the referees while officiating the game and that there were certain fouls that weren’t called in favor for his team. He admits that his team is undermanned due to a number of injuries and that FEU is really a strong team to begin with. “Even before the UAAP started, I already had two players out. Both players are first eleven players,” says coach Smit in explaining the lack of personnel in the team. Nevertheless, his team performed significantly better in the second half. “It was just all heart,” says coach Smit.

The Lady Booters hope to bounce back from this loss against the UP Lady Maroons on January 21 at 4 pm in the Ateneo Moro Lorenzo Football Field.