The DLSU Lady Booters, despite a valiant defensive stand that anchored the majority of the match, suffered a late collapse against the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Football Tournament, 1-0, earlier tonight, October 7, at the UP Diliman Pitch.
With the introduction of the Final Four format raising the stakes for the seeding, the highly anticipated finals rematch carried significant tournament implications. The Green-and-White entered the pitch eager to set the tone.
The Taft-based squad leaned heavily on team captain goalkeeper Jessica Pido’s heroics to weather the storm and preserve a scoreless tie for most of the grueling contest. However, heavy fatigue took its toll, and Jelan Pabuaya’s 88th-minute breakthrough shattered La Salle’s hopes of securing a point in the match.
War of attrition
The Lady Booters and Lady Tamaraws clash for the top seed, as a win in this matchup carries greater weight with the introduction of the Final Four leg in the tournament. Both squads started slowly, with La Salle cutting off FEU’s pace with out-of-bounds kicks to deny prolonged possession. Pido calmly shook off a series of yellow-shirt attacks into the box, as the Morayta-based squad continued their onslaught. The closest call for La Salle came when Kyza Colina found Judie Arevalo for the pass, only for the cunning Pido to intercept once more. 10 minutes in, the Lady Tamaraws had amassed two corners and two shots on target. The Green-and-White offense began fabricating on their counterattacks, with Jodi Banzon breaking free ahead of the pack, but to no avail as her attack was called offside due to the organized Tamaraw backline.
The close affair kept heating up, as each squad’s transitions were exceptional, only to be met with an even more masterful response to counter. Cheney Dañoso and Ushin Valencia set the stage for DLSU’s offense to flow, as this led to Lara Amante striking a powerful kick that went past the yellow shirts’ box. Physicality ensued as battles for possessions and dribble clashes saw FEU’s Len Cristobal caught up in a collision with Maeagan Alforque during their scramble for the ball. DLSU’s closest glimpse at a goal came when Dañoso set up Amante for a center ball, coming up short after two yellow shirts denied her attack. After a series of last-minute attempts at a goal by both squads, long clears and headers did not bear fruit, as the tight contest headed into halftime with a stalemate at 0-all.
Fatal collapse
As the second half began, the Taft-based squad leaned on their defensive discipline to stifle the defending champions’ attack. The backline, anchored by Stephanie Goñe and Maya Lubiano, consistently dismantled the Lady Tamaraws’ early advances. Whenever FEU found a sliver of space, goalkeeper Pido served as a reliable safety net, securing punch-outs and deflecting shots from Arevalo to preserve the 0-all deadlock. Even when Lubiano went down with an apparent injury at the 66th minute, the Green-and-White defense remained intact and unfazed, weathering the relentless offensive pressure.
Looking to flip the momentum, La Salle launched quick counterattacks through Alforque and Banzon, but FEU’s rigid wall denied their advances. Seeking a jolt of energy and control, DLSU subbed out Kia Balateria for Khey Balateria in the crunch time. However, despite the tactical adjustment, heavy fatigue plagued both squads, as sluggish passes and frequent throw-ins highlighted the physical toll of the match.
The defensive stalemate finally shattered at the 88th minute. Capitalizing on the Lasallians’ tired legs, Pabuaya found an opening and ran through the defense of DLSU, slotting the ball past Pido and through the net to snatch a goal late into the match. Desperation and despair settled in for the Lady Booters as the final four minutes of added time rolled around; they frantically pushed for an equalizer to salvage a point. But eventually, the exhausted squad failed to mount a final counterattack, surrendering a tough, wire-to-wire loss to the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 1-0.
Following the loss, the DLSU Lady Booters look to shift their focus towards their upcoming Round 2 stint in the tournament, aiming to strengthen their standings to secure their Final Four spot.