The first round of eliminations between the DLSU Lady Booters and the UST Golden Tigresses matched the energy expected of a finals rematch as the hot sunny afternoon witnessed a stalemate ending earlier today at the Circulo Verde Football field.
Rookie standout Shai Del Campo notched another crafty header to score the second goal of her career. When asked about the game, she was certain that it was simply a war of attrition, “It was a very 50-50 match; we scored first and then they scored…It was back-to-back.”
Possession-dominated first half
The Lady Booters lined up in a 4-3-3 formation to start the game. Early in the first half the Golden Tigresses dominated possession, coming close to scoring from a counterattack. It was La Salle’s right back, Thea Concepcion, who provided a last ditch tackle to keep the score levelled at nil-nil apiece. Another chance came from the Golden Tigresses’ Mary Joy Indac when she dribbled through the defense of the Lady Booters until Maria Montelibano saved the Green-and-White with a standing tackle inside the box. UST got the last attempt of the half courtesy of an Indac strike that hit the crossbar. The first half ended with neither team hitting the back net of UST.
Fiery second half
The Lady Booters came out of the second half with more intensity as they had most of the chances early on in the half. The Taft-based squad finally took off at the 49’ mark of the game. Team captain Kyra Dimaandal scored a goal off of a cross from Irish Navaja. UST, however, was quick to answer when Indac scored off of a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. At the 58’ mark of the second half, both teams were leveled with them scoring one goal apiece.
As the minutes ticked down, the intensity of the match remained high as Indac’s footwork gave UST their second goal in the 69th minute. She slipped the ball past the defenders that crowded around her, sending a quick touch to give the Golden Tigresses their lead.
It did not take the Green-and-White long to equalize. In the 72nd minute, Del Campo’s strong header found the back of the net, courtesy of a corner kick from Rocelle Mendaño.
From there, the Taft-based squad pressed to find chances to claim the victory. A few more corners and free kicks offered the team good chances to seal the win, but the Tigresses’ defense held on. The final attempt came from Mendaño sprinting past the defenders in stoppage time, but her final touch sent the ball wide.
With the Lady Booters sporting a 1-1-0 record, they look to boost their record against the UP Lady Maroons on Sunday, March 16, at 1 pm at the same venue.
