The DLSU Lady Booters broke away with their first victory in Round 2 over rivals ADMU Blue Eagles, 1-0, in the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Football Tournament earlier tonight, October 17, at the UP Diliman Pitch.
Dani Tanjangco launched the lone goal of the match at the 36th minute, leading the way for the Green-and-White while orchestrating the offense on the pitch.
Tactics and tempo
The rivalry match rolled in with a slow start, with the La Salle wingers launching a few shots, while Ateneo failed to attack entirely. The game began to pick up in the 10th minute as aggression from Ushin Valencia, Maegan Alforque and Chenny Dañoso swung momentum toward the Green-and-White. Ateneans Sophia Lyttle and Jada Bicierro followed, vying to create openings but were called offside. More chances surfaced for the blue shirts through corners, but were halted by Lasallian goalie Jessica Pido. A contrast in strategies told the story of the match thus far, as DLSU clamped the midfield and launched quicker attacks, while ADMU displayed a more methodical game with set pieces. The Lady Booters continued to outpace the Eagles, but just failed to net any shots. Frustration and tension continued to build up for the Green-and-White faithful as the Atenean crowd roared with every stop.
Approaching the 36’ mark, DLSU’s unwavering midfield defense finally paid off as Tanjangco charged forward with a full head of steam, La Salle finally found the back of the net, 1-nil. Even with the lead, the Lady Booters pushed harder, even to the point of a scuffle. The game escalated after Bicierro and Jelena Soon got chippy in the left Ateneo flank. The half slowly dwindled away with the Green-and-White up, 1-nil.
Crashing scuffles
The second half commenced with an ignited offense from both squads, as the Blue Eagles inched their way into the Green-and-White field. La Salle’s early frame culminated in a series of attacks that nearly broke the lid open, highlighted by a near goal at the 49th minute, along with attacks orchestrated by Banzon and Balateria at the left flank. A close call came after a ball fumble by the Lady Booters led to ADMU’s Tootchie Eval breaking away for a runaway dribble, only to be thwarted by white-shirts waiting at the halfline. DLSU continued to hunt the blue shirts, disrupting their dribbles and claiming possession, eventually leading to shots on goals at the 57’ and 63’ marks which were saved by the Chelssy Casals. As the back and forth fair ensued, a pause came at the 72nd minute after Casals and Eval hit the floor due to a large scuffle for the ball, the intense physicality came with heckling from both squads’ teams.
The Lady Booters continued to stack corner kicks while ADMU was left empty-handed in that field. The intensity ensued as another body hit the floor, this time being the white shirts’ Soon, who was helped off the field after a pause at the 76th minute. Both teams continued to trade clears to no avail, before another foul was met after Tanjangco drew a free kick opportunity. Dañoso faked out the free kick to Elisha Lubiano only for the strike to sky wide on the net. With time inching its way to the endgame, DLSU shifted their strategy to prolong the match and cut off any chance of possession for the blue shirts. The raging battle called for another pause, this time with Lara Amante reaching for her hamstrings as she exited the field. With four minutes of extra time, the Katipunan-based squad launched a hail mary to Bicierro, only to be in vain as it was deemed offside. As four extra minutes were added, La Salle played off the final minutes calmly by evading the Blue Eagles as they ended the match with a 1-0 victory.
Following an intense full-time battle, a goal scored in the first half does not allow for complacency in the next. In an interview with The LaSallian, Tanjangco highlights what keeps her and the team’s all-out mindset in a match such as this. “It’s always been our team’s mindset. We call it 0-0. Even if we score, we play just as hard. In fact, even harder to try and get another point, especially since in football, it only takes a few seconds or minutes for that lead to get taken back.”
The Lady Booters return to the winning column in the second round and now seek to impose their tactical brilliance as they face the NU Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday, October 21, at the same venue.