The DLSU Lady Booters showed out with a dominant win in a rainy matchup against the UST Golden Tigresses, 2-0, to start off their UAAP Season 87 journey earlier today, September 21, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Arantxa Trebol and Maria Tanjangco starred for the Lady Booters, each scoring a goal, while Shai Del Campo chipped in an assist.
Grit and grind affair
DLSU came out with intensity, quickly establishing control in midfield and dictating the pace of play. Their aggressive pressing led to a series of early chances, with La Salle striker Lyka Teves delivering a dangerous cross in the eighth minute, narrowly missing the head of Del Campo. The Lady Booters nearly capitalized on a defensive lapse in the 12th minute when Teves broke through on goal, but UST’s defense held firm under pressure as goalkeeper Lizzie Garcia produced a brilliant diving save to keep the score level.
UST, struggling to find their rhythm early on, relied on quick counterattacks. By the 22nd minute, they began to see some success. A dangerous run down the right flank by Maria Gerona resulted in a low cross into the box, but La Salle’s defense cleared the danger. Both teams were then showing flashes of quality, with DLSU appearing more composed while UST proved resilient and dangerous on the break, setting the tone for the rest of the half.
By the 30th minute, momentum shifted back to La Salle’s side with their aggressive play rewarding them with great chances. Del Campo remained a constant threat to UST, capitalizing on a momentary lapse on defense and firing a shot that missed by a few inches. The Tigresses had a few chances for counterplay, particularly with a deep run by Judy Prado that penetrated DLSU’s box, but she couldn’t finish the job as La Salle’s defense successfully pressured her into a crucial turnover. Gerona had more chances, getting two deep runs in the 32nd and 43rd minutes, but she could not find the bottom of the net on both occasions.
After failing to convert multiple chances throughout the half, La Salle’s aggressive offense finally paid off in the 45+2’ mark as Trebol lasered in a follow-up shot off of a Del Campo attempt right through UST’s goalkeeper, which gave the Lady Booters a 1-0 lead heading into the second half of the match.
Del Campo takes charge
After the halftime break, both teams went back on the field and had to quickly adjust to the difficult surface of the pitch, with the ball often getting stuck in puddles. La Salle adjusted to the wet surroundings by playing high and long passes, bypassing the sluggish turf of the field.
Del Campo, with her veteran experience, began to set the attacking plays for the Lady Booters with UST unable to defend her out of the game. The captain had a chance to add to the scoreline but was denied by Garcia. However, determined to secure the three points for the Green-and-White, Del Ocampo played a through pass to Tanjangco, who received the ball down the left flank before finding the near post corner of the goal with a nifty shot to extend the lead at the 66th minute, 2-0.
Now with a firm hand on the three-points, DLSU Coach Alvin Ocampo made several substitutes to rest the starters as well as to give chances to the players on the bench. The Lady Booters’ defense remained compact, comfortably getting rid of attacks from the Thomasians, who were unable to convert any notable challenge to diminish La Salle’s lead before the final whistle signaled the end of the match, 2-0.
Head Coach Alvin Ocampo was pleased with the team’s performance against a tough opponent, acknowledging that the team was forced to play one half under tough conditions, “It was hard because of the weather, plus the fact that UST is not a pushover team. They will challenge a lot of teams. A win is a win; max points [are] very important.”
Coming off this opening day victory with high momentum, the DLSU Lady Booters’ next challenge is a high-stakes battle against the UP Fighting Maroons on September 28, at 6 pm, at the same venue.
