THE UST Lady Booters started the 64th UAAP Football season on the wrong foot as they yielded their opening game against De La Salle University, 1-0, last Nov. 28 at the Ateneo football field.
Hounded by the aggressive La Salle defense throughout the game, the Lady booters kept up in pace with Lady Archers game as they went for a standoff in the first half.
The Taft-based Lady Booters sustained their aggressiveness in the second half, working all-out on both ends of the field; offensively and defensively.
Though UST goalkeeper Katherine de Villa foiled a number of the Lady Archers’ scoring opportunities, La Salle’s intensity did not budge as it kept on pounding the España-based lady booters with its fast-paced game.
In the defensive end, the 2000 runners-up Lady Archers choked the UST offensive machinery by limiting its possessions through an airtight guarding.
In one of their few opportunities to score, Tigress forward Joyce Landagan went for the make or break as she evaded two La Salle defenders in the mid-field. However, the Lady Achers defense reacted on time forcing Landagan to be caught in the right corner as a slashing team captain Alelie Bonfacio got called for an offside violation.
That was the only thing that UST could muster offensively as its scoring option was limited by the Lady Archers’ rock-solid defense.
In the play of the game, La Salle caught the Lady Booters flat-footed as Lady Archer Jolina Alejandro scored the winning goal after a three-on-one situation in the 82nd minute.
UST tried to last-ditch effort to make a comeback in the final seven minutes but its bid went for naught as Coach Talavera’s rookie-laden team scrambled to a wild finish.
