Despite securing the remaining Finals spot, the DLSU Lady Booters were unable to convert on all 23 chances to their goal and ended their UAAP Season 88 Women’s Football Tournament Elimination Round with a frustrating 1-0 loss to the formidable UST Growling Tigresses yesterday, November 8, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Player of the Match Nikah Asilo buried the match-winning goal in the 35th minute, allowing UST to end their season on a high note against the three-time silver finishers.
Tide-turning Thomasian counter-play
Controlling the match early on, the Tigresses pushed for a strong chance, playing through the centerline and creating from the right-hand side of the box. However, tides changed as the Lady Booters soon gained momentum and made their way toward the Thomasian keeper, making three attempts, but all went wide.
The Tigresses then failed to pounce past the halfway line, allowing the Lady Booters to create chances from the left wing led by Mari Layacan. While DLSU entered the final third with repeated pushes, they struggled to make a conversion as shots often breezed past the left post. The Growling Tigresses answered back, finding an opening through the right wing for an on-target shot toward DLSU goalkeeper Jessican Pido.
The Lady Booters regained their ground and gradually deployed their attack from the left despite the aggression from UST’s forwards. Layacan and Chenny Dañoso ignited the offense, which led to a shot that was barely saved by Christine Orian. UST began to crowd the left side of the pitch, yet the Lady Booters continued to create scoring opportunities.
However, the tables turned for the Green-and-White as UST’s Jillian Jalnaiz reignited their momentum from the right wing in response to faulty counterattacks by the Lady Booters. Mirroring their starting play, Samantha Asilo made a pass to N. Asilo, who pierced through the Lasallian defense, ending the 35-minute stalemate, 1-0, as the España-based squad maintained their advantage till the end of the first half.
Victory with a sting
After 13 unsuccessful attempts at the goal during the first half, the Lasallians ferociously entered the second half—wasting no time as Layacan, Dañoso, and Dani Tanjangco fired several attempts inside the box. Chances went awry for La Salle as Orian consistently repelled every chance. Adding to DLSU’s challenge, first-half scorer N. Asilo brewed opportunities for UST at the left flank, and the green shirts had to hold their ground to deny a second goal. Although the match was non-bearing, physicality intensified between the frustrated Lady Booters and menacing Growling Tigresses. UST asserted control, with defender Jannah Santerva intercepting Layacan’s effort and sending the ball out for a corner that La Salle failed to break through. Anxiety grew as opportunities went begging: Kia Balateria’s strike a few feet off target, Jodie Banzon’s thwarted attack, and Maegan Alforque’s heavy touch to Mikaela Villacin, who wrongly directed the header.
As the match wore on, UST evidently refused to end their season quietly, continuing to press and challenge La Salle at every turn. The Lady Booters, meanwhile, appeared to ease their intensity—playing it safe amid a season piled with yellow cards. With Alforque, Jelena Soon, Layacan, Micha Santiago, Elisha Lubiano, and Stephanie Goñe all one caution away from suspension, La Salle kept their composure to preserve their core intact for the championship stage. Though visibly more restrained, the Lady Booters equally shared possession and managed to minimize risks, opting for safer passes and measured transitions.
Determined to rally the team, Dañoso launched a long pass that led to yet another multi-player collision. DLSU goalkeeper Greti Tan soon found herself under pressure as UST aggressively pushed forward. A heart-stopping moment for La Salle came when Lara Regarde’s misstep brought her just a hair’s breadth away from equalizing at the 88th mark. With three minutes of added time, the Lady Booters battled fatigue while the Tigresses slowed the tempo, nearly doubling their lead through a late free kick. Ultimately, La Salle limped into the Finals, while the Thomasians capped their season with a 1-0 send-off at full-time.
As the Lasallians secured their Finals spot following FEU’s 4-1 victory over Ateneo earlier in the day, all eyes now turn to the season’s championship clash. The Lady Booters are set to face familiar rivals—the three-time defending champions, FEU Lady Tamaraws—for what will be their eighth consecutive Finals appearance and fourth straight meeting with the Tamaraws, with the official schedule to be announced.
