For the fourth consecutive season, the DLSU Lady Booters succumbed to the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 2-0, in the UAAP Women’s Football Finals earlier tonight, November 15, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
FEU forward Judie Arevalo and midfielder Althea Rebosura netted in the two goals of the match in the 14th and 94th minute, respectively, denying the Green-and-White’s search for the coveted crown.
Trailing the Tamaraws
With both sides filled with adrenaline and fervor, the opening minutes of the highly-anticipated final saw frantic exchanges with neither side able to take control of possession. The first big opening of the game fell to Lasallian forward Maria Layacan as she drove into the penalty box from a tight angle. However, her effort went wide into the side-netting. La Salle opted to continue going direct with long passes, in contrast to FEU who played with possession on the ground with intricate passes. The opposite styles canceled each other out for spells in the first half; however FEU began to hold more prolonged periods of possession. From this, DLSU’s backline began dropping deeper and deeper, luring the Tamaraws’ frontline closer to goal. The defending champions fired a warning shot at the 11th minute, with a free kick hitting the side of La Salle’s goal. The Lady Booters did not heed this warning, as only three minutes later, another set piece was sent in by the yellow shirts. The cross was met by a header from Arevalo in the six-yard box, which beat Lasallian goalkeeper Jessica Pido to make the game 1-0.
The green shirts were stunned for the next ten minutes, after once again falling behind FEU in the last hurdle. The Lady Tamaraws, smelling blood, continued puncturing the DLSU backline, particularly their right hand side of the defense. The Green-and-White’s midfield duo were constantly stretched by their opponents, allowing for spaces to increase for the four-peat aspirants.
Despite the scoreline and state of affairs, the pair of Elisha Lubiano and Pido of La Salle still performed to a high level, thwarting most of the attacks that came their way as the latter was forced to deal with multiple shots from range. Nevertheless, for the remainder of the first half, it was still FEU who looked the likelier to score. DLSU were unable to create any high quality chances and were forced to enter the halftime interval behind, 1-0.
Falling short
Entering the second half, both teams continued to persist with their respective strategies as the Lady Booters pushed on with long balls while the Lady Tamaraws prioritized short passing and possession. La Salle had a chance to equalize in the 54th minute when Jodie Banzon was able to put her free kick on target, however, FEU goalie Jessa Lehayan was able to come across to tip the shot away. The Lasallians were able to hit similar shots midway through the half but these were also easily dealt with by the Lady Tamaraws shotstopper.
Although the DLSU attack was unable to create any clear cut chances, the defense continued to keep the Lady Booters in the game, snuffing out any threat on their goal. With both teams struggling to make the final key pass, the two finalists opted to rack up shots on target, ultimately not troubling either goalkeeper.
In their last game, Captain Steph Goñe made one of the plays of the game in the 87th minute as she executed a crucial sliding tackle on FEU forward Rebosura in the box while Pido made great saves at the line in the 83rd and 87th minutes to keep La Salle in the game.
As the match went into stoppage time, and with La Salle chasing for an equalizer, the Lady Booters were running on fumes as DLSU Head Coach Alvin Ocampo opted to forego substitutions until the end. However, the defending champs ultimately had the final say, with Lasallians conceding from another corner in the fourth minute of added time. Rebosura pounced on the bouncing corner kick to deliver the Lady Tamaraws’ dagger ultimately sealing a 2-0 win and their fourth consecutive championship, while the Lady Booters endured a familiar silver finish.
After the loss, Coach Ocampo lamented his team’s season. “They played with their hearts up to the finals. It always builds character, [and it] was a good learning experience.” Ocampo also gave praise to La Salle’s two awardees tonight: Lubiano for Best Defender and Banzon for Rookie of the Year. “It would’ve been great to end with a championship instead of an individual [award], but I give it to them.” Moreover, Ocampo expressed his pleasure at the fact that the UAAP Women’s Football division as a whole has improved. “The league is really picking up, especially next year there’s NU. It’s a good competition. It’s raising the bar for everyone.” Lastly, Ocampo emphasized the importance of the offseason, for both recruitment and adjustment. “We have to scout more players, and we have a few that are coming in. And some are already there.”
Following the runner-up finish after a compressed UAAP Football season, the DLSU Lady Booters will enter a period of rest, recruitment and pre-season as they continue their search for the elusive first championship since Season 81.
