By Aine Peralta
Maintaining their place atop the standings, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw Booters grounded the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Blue Eagles, 4-1, after a dominant full-pitch display in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 women’s football tournament earlier today, October 24, at the University of the Philippines Diliman Football Pitch in Quezon City.
Wasting no time to assert their dominance, the green-and-gold squad drew first blood just three minutes into the match when forward Jelan Pabuaya threaded a slick pass to Iries Dela Cruz, who slotted the ball home to give FEU an early 1-0 lead.
The Lady Tamaraws extended their lead in the 27th minute when midfielder Daniella Belicaria found the back of the net to make it 2-0.
Belicaria nearly sparked another goal just six minutes later, unspooling a long ball to Dela Cruz, whose attempt clanked off the goalpost and spun out of the box.
Shrugging off the near-miss, Morayta standout Regine Rebosura struck a counterattack with a long pass to Pabuaya, who set up forward Julia Sacmar in the 47th minute for a clean finish, 3-0.
The Katipunan-based squad attempted to cut into FEU’s lead in the 66th minute, but Tamaraw goalkeeper Mikah Ranain stood firm, turning away a threatening strike from Danielle Benitez to preserve the three-goal cushion.
However, the Let Dimzon-led squad’s bid for a shutout was denied in the 86th minute when Ateneo’s Jada Bicierro capitalized on Cassandra Zaldarriaga’s setup, slicing the Tamaraws’ cushion to 3-1.
A brief moment of frustration hit the green-and-gold in the 89th minute when Season 88 Golden Booter winner Judie Arevalo sent her penalty attempt wide.
Refusing to let the match end on a sour note, Arevalo quickly made amends in stoppage time, drilling a dagger into the back of the net to seal the 4-1 victory.
Reflecting on the team’s strong start, head coach Dimzon credited the early goal with helping the squad enjoy the match and perform well.
“Siguro ‘yung nagbigay sa kanila ng (Maybe that's what gave them) spirit to enjoy and play well is ‘yung early first goal. During the pre-match meeting, I told them to make bawi, kasi there are a lot of players from the previous games na medyo off talaga ‘yung performance,” the head coach said in a post-game interview.
Commending the squad’s offensive sharpness, the green-and-gold tactician pointed to Belicaria’s return as a major catalyst for the early tempo and capitalizing on first-half chances.
"This is the first time ulit na nakapasok si Belicaria. She created the chance nung first goal, and then she was also the one to score the second goal. So I think it’s a good show na makita mo ‘yung response nung players doon sa meeting namin and how they perform... They dominate ‘yung first half, and then it was a good show sa attacking namin," she shared.
Moving forward to their high-stakes rematch against De La Salle University (DLSU), Dimzon pointed to key tactical adjustments heading into the rivalry bout.
"Two objectives. One, we want to get that game to secure ‘yung direct to Finals. Second, we want to improve our attacking... last game against La Salle nag-focus kami more on defense, but this time, we will focus more on attack," the coach emphasized.
With just one fixture remaining in the second round, the Lady Tamaraw Booters now shift their focus to capping off a sweep against rival DLSU on Wednesday, October 28, at the same pitch.
(Photo courtesy of the UAAP Media Team)