The DLSU Lady Booters sustained their hot form in the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Football Tournament with an emphatic victory over the ADMU Blue Eagles, 3-0, earlier tonight, September 26, at the UP Diliman Football Pitch.
Ushin Valencia was hailed as Player of the Game, serving as La Salle’s engine to take command of the match’s tempo. Dani Tanjangco gave the Green-and-White an early advantage at the 15’ mark, while Lara Amante and Chenny Dañoso punished Ateneo in the second half with goals at the 52’ and 69’ marks, respectively.
Near-unbreachable
DLSU asserted aggression from the opening possession. In the first ten minutes, the Lady Booters raced toward the goal line several times, but failed to capitalize on their chances as the Ateneans surrounded the lone flankers.
Pressing on, the Lasallians cut the Eagles’ counters short, allowing them to make space until Ateneo found a gap at their left wing. Defenders failed to intercept a shot that hit square into Lasallian goalie Jessica Pido’s hands. DLSU quickly reclaimed their space, but only till the half-way line, as the Blue Eagles recomposed their defenses. Approaching the 15’ mark, Dani Tanjanco positioned herself by the right wing to await a chipped pass. She raced the defenders, piercing the box to slip past Ateneo’s Brielle Baca to break the early deadlock, 1-0.
Shaken, the Blue Eagles adapted through tighter guards around their flank. Eager to reply, both squads went back-and-forth to claim the midfield as the Blue Shirts dove further into green territory. Territorial dominance began to shift, characterized by shorter charges from La Salle’s strikers. Pressure at the half-way line persisted as offensives melted through the space. 30 minutes in, Ateneo endured the clinch and began firing several salvos into Pido. Looking to fight back, the Lady Booters gradually returned the frontline to the half-way mark, but struggled to replicate their early advantage. As La Salle’s aggression fizzled after each flank interception, the Blue Eagles regained control over the frontline yet could not equalize the score, maintaining the Lady Booters’ lead at 1-0.
One-sided affair
With a 1-0 advantage at their helm, the green shirts came out of the break with sustained intensity as they put their rivals under pressure with aggressive pressing to control the match’s tempo. The Lasallians consistently looked to pierce through the wing and exploit spaces in the final third as Meagan Alforque and Tanjangco served as key points in their attack.
Ateneo’s struggles to break through La Salle’s compact shape and aggression served as the catalyst for a counterattack from the Lady Booters. Coming off her maiden UAAP goal in their opener, rookie Amante completed the run to find the back of the net at the 52nd minute, doubling La Salle’s edge, 2-0. ADMU soon opted for a goalkeeper substitution with Chelssy Calsas coming in for Baca, yet DLSU continued to dictate the tempo as they dominated the midfield and continued to create from the right wing.
The Loyola Heights-based side would eventually find a way for opportunities to enter the green shirts’ box through set pieces, but the Lasallians effortlessly thwarted any chance of the white shirts entering the scoreboard. The Lady Booters maintained their intensity in penetrating ADMU’s box, but mistimed runs prompted the linesman to raise the offside flag in consecutive sequences.
La Salle’s offense persisted as the forwards repeatedly beat the defenders for chances. This came into fruition as the Booters added to the Eagles’ chagrin, with Dañoso sending a left-footed finesse shot past two defenders and Calsas at the 69’ mark, 3-0. With the match heading into its final stages, both sides brought in fresh legs, with DLSU seeking to further stamp their dominance and Ateneo fighting an uphill battle.
The white shirts would attempt to threaten Pido’s clean sheet in the last 10 minutes; however, the back line maintained their composure to comfortably close out the match. The Lady Booters successfully contained the Blue Eagles to take home three points and clinch a consecutive victory.
The Green-and-White look to add to their win column as they face off against the NU Lady Bulldogs at the same venue on Wednesday, September 30, at 2 pm.