After back-to-back Finals defeats against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, the DLSU Lady Booters are determined to rewrite their story this season. Armed with a strong blend of seasoned veterans and promising newcomers, the team aims to finally recapture the UAAP Women’s Football Championship and end a six-season title drought.
In the little things
Since Shai Del Campo’s title-winning debut in Season 81—where she also bagged the Rookie of the Year award—she has blossomed into a mainstay in the national team. Now captaining the Lady Booters, Del Campo looks to use her notable experience in leading the Taft-based squad back to glory. “As much as possible, I try to grasp everything. Knowledge, experience and try to share it sa team,” she says, reflecting on her position. “Of course, we could be like a [role] model. I would say [something like]‘if I can do it, they can also do it.’”
Meanwhile, veteran Arantxa Trebol takes last season’s injury as a reminder for the team to stay healthy. She highlights the importance of senior leadership throughout the season, “These rookies look up to the seniors, so what they see is what they do. ‘Monkey see monkey do.’ Sa game naman, as much as possible we try to step up as seniors, like bring the hopes up during the game.” Trebol adds that the seniors set an example for the younger players by paying attention to even the smallest details that keep the team ready, such as arriving first for call times.
(In the games themselves, we try to step up as seniors as much as possible.)
However, the championship charge of the Green-and-White will not rely solely on the veterans. The team is also composed of talented rookies who are eager to make their mark in collegiate football. Trebol noticed their presence early on, “So far so good, they were able to adjust agad naman. I mean at first, [during] the first few weeks they were having a hard time, but then eventually they were able to adjust and mix with the team, which is very good.”
(They were able to adjust right away.)
The team dynamics within the Lady Booters are built on consistency. All the players have one goal in mind as expressed by Trebol: “Hopefully [to] get that championship…At this point, we all want to play and win.”
New faces, same mindset
Before the UAAP season commenced, the Lady Booters tested their mettle in the United Women’s Invitational Tournament, where they emerged as Plate Division champions. This preseason stint allowed the coaches to experiment with the lineup and find the best mix of players to represent the school. Trebol explains, “The coaches were able to do trial and error and experiment with the team, like what’s the right mix in this team to have that right system.” She further details how the coaches applied corrections and made improvements to the team in preparation for UAAP season.
This experience gave opportunities for rookies like Megan Alforque to play football at the collegiate level. Alforque revealed, “It’s different talaga sa college, like UAAP. They’re (opponents and teammates) more physical. They’re more aggressive, and like I’m a small rookie, so I have to adjust, kasi physical nga.” Despite the challenges, the rookies quickly adjusted to the new schedule and rigorous training, ensuring the team continues to stay sharp.
(It really is different in college, like UAAP, they’re more physical, they’re more aggressive, and like I’m a small rookie, so I have to adjust, because it really is physical.)
As for this season’s opponents, both Del Campo and Trebol acknowledge FEU as one of the strongest teams in the tournament. However, Del Campo stresses, “We’re not solely focusing on them,” as she continues to hone in on the team’s needs to win each game. “Of course, every UAAP [season] is different. We hope this time it will be what we worked hard for.”
Pumped up and ready
The Lady Booters started their Season 87 campaign strong with a 2-0 opening day win over the UST Golden Tigresses courtesy of goals from Trebol and rookie Dani Tanjangco. They followed up with a convincing 3-1 victory over the UP Fighting Maroons through a brace from Tanjangco and a Layacan dagger. Keeping their momentum going, the Green-and-White continued to dominate as they kept a clean sheet against the ADMU Blue Eagles, 1-0, with Teves scoring the game’s only goal. Their next and final game of Round One came in a highly anticipated Season 85 and 86 Finals rematch against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, which eventually ended in a draw after Del Campo’s goal was nullified, 1-all.
To open Round Two, the Lady Booters met another stalemate against the winless UST Golden Tigresses, courtesy of a Del Campo and Trebol finish. After remaining undefeated in five matchups, the team confirmed a slot in the Women’s Football Tournament Finals. With a roster of fresh talents and battle-proven veterans, they want nothing more than to bring La Salle the Women’s Football crown after six long seasons.
For Lyka Teves—who has proven herself as the crown jewel of DLSU’s attacking line in recent years—the championship remains the ultimate end goal as she blossoms into one of the young squad’s leaders. The Dumaguete native promises, “I’ll keep in my mind our goal this season, which is to win the championship. For that, we’ll work hard not just individually but as a team.”
