THE ADAMSON University Lady Falcons were once considered invincible, unbeaten in six seasons with a 73-game winning streak.
That’s until the UST Softbelles did the unthinkable pulling off a 6-2 victory on March 2 last year.
But having lost a do-or-die Game 3 in the finals, UST is determined to finish the job this season.
“We can take down Adamson. We both lost key players but we have a cohesive team and we can win the championship,” said team captain Mallows Garde.
National team mainstays Garde, Celestine Palma, Cristy Joy Roa, and Anne Antolihao are still with UST.
Adamson lost Queeny Sabobo, Annalie Benjamen and Krisna Paguican, who all finished their UAAP careers for Adamson.
“We are not afraid of them,” UST head coach Sandy Barredo said. “Our team is much more formidable this season because the players are much more disciplined. We don’t have drama queens anymore.”
The Softbelles have gotten better each year.
In 2015, the Softbelles barged into the Final Four to secure UST’s 40th general championship but fell to the University of the Philippines in the playoffs.
The following year, UST earned a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals and quickly dispatched the National University to reach the finals where they made a run for Adamson’s money.
And though the Lady Falcons are still considered as the team to beat this year–they won the UAAP title eight times in the last 10 years–UST showed they could be beaten.
“We have the tools to defeat Adamson as long we can communicate as one,” Antolihao said.
