AFTER a spoiled return trip to the finals last year, the UST Lady Booters are out to redeem themselves.
Back-to-back losses to title protagonists Far Eastern University and De La Salle University in the most crucial stretch of the tournament last season proved the killer blow to the España-based squad’s spirited campaign as it ended up short in their finals bid and settled for third place.
Rookie line-up
Two key players will be out of Coach Gil Talavera’s roster this year. Fil-Am sisters Niña and Ginger Loarca went back to the United States to join their family. The younger Ginger, however, promised to return next season.
Despite this, the young coach is unfazed. As a matter of fact, Talavera is quite optimistic and sees a handful of new and capable faces that will fill up the void left by the veterans.
“Di bale, marami namang rookies ang sa tingin ko ay may potential,” Talavera said.
Similar to last year’s squad, roughly half of the team is composed of relatively newcomers. Nine young guns are raring to show their stuff on the field.
Among the current batch of rookies, Razel Uba is expected to play major minutes for the team. Playing since high school, Uba showed impressive performances during scrimmages and pre-season tournaments.
Jouella Khung Hun and Danielle Magbag’s athleticsm will also be useful, she has played for the UST Volleybelles and the UST Tankers.
Scouted in the Intramurals while playing for College of Architecture last season, Janet Mendez and Ateneo de Davao standout April Russel Pineda will be valuable additions to the Lady Booters line-up.
Rounding up the rookies are former softball player Jennifer Higong, Julia Ann Flores, Francesca Isidro and Shailoe Peredo from Angelicum College.
However, Coach Talavera is cautious that his rookie-laden team will suffer the same fate this coming season.
“I’m afraid na ‘yung inexperience nila, lalabas sa crucial stages ng tournament gaya nang last year,” Talavera said.
Perennial problem
Like most UST varsity squads, player recruitment has been the perennial headache of UST women’s football team.
According to Coach Talavera, the best high school booters in town always end up with UP, Ateneo and La Salle, while the FEU explores talent from the countryside.
“Kadalasan, ‘yung mga class B o class C na players ang napupunta sa atin. Kung minsan pa nga, mga first time pa lang maglaro ng football ‘yung nakukuha namin. Hirap talaga kami sa recruitment,” Talavera added.
Dark horse
The Lady Booters are emerging as the dark horse of the tournament.
Despite a young line-up, Talavera still believes that his team can compete with the strong teams in the field.
Alelie Bonifacio, the heart and soul of the team, will be team captain this year. With a fresh stint in the Southeast Asian Games, the national team mainstay will carry the cudgels for the team.
To maximize her talent and experience, Bonifacio will be playing halfback position rather than playing sweeper for the team.
And to back up Bonifacio are fellow RP team members Joyce Landagan and Mary Katherine de Villa. Being last year’s top scorer, the explosive Landagan will reprise her gunner’s role in the forward position, while de Villa will guard the goal post.
“Plus factor iyung stint nila sa national team. Sila ang inaasahan kong magdadala ng team,” the youthful mentor confidently said.
Talavera hopes the experience his players got from training in the National Pool will be used to the teams’ advantage, as he expects the veterans’ fiery attitude to rub off to the rest of the team.
The teams to beat are the reigning champion FEU and La Salle, Talavera said. According to him, these two teams are better in individual skills than UST. Team play will be their edge against the oppositions as the Lady Booters will try to offset the advantage of the other teams in terms of individual skills.
However, the former Growling Booter is worried of the FEU squad since it has not yet competed in any tournament prior to the UAAP season.
“FEU’s Josephine Loren might be hiding something, that’s why I’m conditioning my team to be prepared for anything,” Talavera added.
Off-season tournaments
Aside from their daily afternoon scrimmages, the Lady Booters joined two tournaments in preparation for this season.
Last month, the España-based Booters competed in the annual University Games in Bacolod City. Pitted against the best football teams all over the country, the Lady Booters showed class and determination as they reached the Uni-games semifinals.
The Lady Booters could have advanced further in the competition if not for the food poisoning incident that hospitalized more than half of the team, including Talavera. UST was disqualified by default after it failed to show up in its semifinals match against University of St. La Salle.
In the Metro Manila Girls’ Football Association (MMFGA) tournament, the Lady Booters, having a fully recovered line-up, rebounded from their Uni-games loss, nipping UP in the battle for third place.
Expectations
Gauging from how they performed in the pre-season tournaments, UST is a contender.
Talavera explained that their participation in those tournaments aimed to expose his new players to actual competitions and tested the chemistry of the team. He was more than happy with the results and he hopes that the team will carry on as the football wars begin.
Asked of his team’s chances this season, Talavera quickly responded with guarded optimism. “We’ll try our best to retain the third-place finish and kung masilat ‘yung top two teams (FEU and La Salle), then we’ll get it from there.”
