Everything seemed to go right for the University of the Philippines (UP) Women’s Football Team (WFT) in its Season 89 first round-ender as the Maroons triumphed 1-0 over the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Booters on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the UP Diliman Football Field.
After a challenging start to its campaign, the Diliman-based squad has regained momentum in the nick of time, capping off its opening round of games with a flourish and two wins on the bounce.
Two on the trot
Fresh off a dominant and morale-boosting 5-0 win at the expense of National University, State U went into the round-ender in high spirits, fifth in the table and level on points with opponents UST.
Though the Fighting Maroons had regained their long-lost shooting boots in the previous match, defense remained the order of the day for much of the first half.
UST peppered Maroon goalkeeper Ainnah de Guzman with shots from the get-go, but found the task of breaching the Diliman-based squad’s defense a tall one.
Having endured hardship for most of the season so far, everything seemed to be going UP’s way.
Forward Daday Rivas found herself leading a rare State U counterattack in the 41st minute and heaved a strike past the España-based squad’s goaltender Lizlie Garcia for her fourth goal of the season.
The maroon shirts held a precious lead and were determined not to relinquish it. Even with the Lady Booters’ first-stringers subbed on in the second half, the yellow shirts continued pummeling the State U goal, only to be denied time and again by a wall of Maroons standing in their way.
In the dying minutes, a goalmouth scramble gave UST one last chance to equalize, but UP hastily cleared the ball with a flagging yet disciplined Diliman defense holding firm to secure a massive win.
Vindication and victory
Vindication was a word all but mentioned by UP WFT head coach Anto Gonzales in a short but grateful post-match interview with Tinig ng Plaridel.
“We always want to improve on the areas na kailangan namin ayusin, so that’s what we kept doing. Yes, it’s frustrating na hindi kami makapanalo, but the most important thing is we’re seeing the improvements and the progress,” the gaffer said.
Coming off of a low point in Season 88, when the Diliman-based squad amassed a single point, and a preparatory campaign in the Philippine Football Federation Women’s League, Gonzales remained committed to discipline and hard work as UP opened its season against De La Salle University (DLSU).
Though the Fighting Maroons showed marked improvement, they fell to a Lara Regarde header in the second half as State U yielded 1-0 to DLSU, ruing missed chances and a penalty non-call.
UP WFT’s Season 89 campaign seemed to be following the same trajectory as last season, as it was battered 0-4 by a clinical Far Eastern University side in a heated affair that saw three players from each side sent off in a late-game scuffle.
The Maroons needed a different kind of fight as they welcomed Katipunan rivals Ateneo to the UP Football Stadium on the last day of September.
After falling behind early, State U roared back as Daday Rivas headed home UP’s first goal of the season. However, victory eluded the Diliman-based squad’s grasp once again as an audacious long-range strike by Soleil Schroth brought all three points back to Loyola.
Despite a less-than-encouraging start, Gonzales held firm in his approach.
“Actually, the first three matches, we were quite satisfied in terms of how we handled [them]. We actually had more attempts than the opponents. That’s one area that we struggled [in] last year, creating chances,” he said.
When it rains, it pours.
The pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place as UP took on and took apart newcomers NU Lady Bulldogs in a dominant 5-0 win, with Daday Rivas and Bem Arañas each bagging braces as State U scored more goals in a single game than it had in the entirety of both Seasons 87 and 88, treating an ecstatic home crowd to its first win in nearly two years.
Battling injuries and illness, the WFT continued to push itself to the limit, upsetting UST to nab its second consecutive win, a feat recognized by Gonzales.
“This game [against UST] was quite difficult even before it started, because we were missing three players. Aurea [Reaso], our team captain, is down with the flu. She played a fantastic game against Ateneo and against NU, so we were really counting on her, but credit to the girls for stepping up,” he said.
With the second round on the horizon, Gonzales looks to the same relentless fight and hard work to lift the Maroons even higher.
The WFT’s long road to redemption resumes with another Katipunan showdown against Ateneo on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the UP Diliman Football Field.
