To lose in the finals is already difficult. To do so for two years straight is a harder pill to swallow.
UST was the favorites heading into the game especially after they defeated La Salle 1-0 and 5-2 in both elimination round games this season. However, La Salle’s championship poise came through right at the end to steal the coveted title.
“Para bang nawala lahat yung mga sacrifice naming galing sa training, (mga) pinaghirapan namin. Parang nawala lahat,” shared a pained Mae Cadag.
Cadag scored the Lady Booters’ goal in the final and awarded the Best Striker of the competition after the game.
Last season’s finals defeat seemed to be a stepping-stone to a bright future. In contrast, this year’s loss came at a point after the Lady Booters’ strong showing in the elimination round. In the end, there will only be difficult lessons that the team needs to process.
“May mga bagay lang talaga siguro na kailangan naming matutunan na hindi mo makikita sa football,” explained UST coach Priscila Rubio. “Yung yung kailangan naming i-figure out para malaman namin at maging maayos yung performance naming all throughout the finals.
“Kasi the second time around, akala namin alam naming kung paano manalo ng championship. Alam lang pala naming manalo ng elimination. Iba pa rin talaga pagdating sa championship,” she furthered.
“Ito yung kailangan naming matutunan sa buong season na ito.”
In a sense, UST can very much take notes from how La Salle learned from its painful finals defeat in Season 78 to win two straight championships afterwards.
“Puso lang.
“Gaya ngayon, before this game, yung 5-2, parang dun kami bumuo as in team talaga. Ngayon parang nagrelax kami dahil nakayanan namin yung two games. Parang na-shock kami na pinaghandaan kami. Parang yung iba hindi na nakapagsalita dahil sa kaba. Hindi na nila ma-handle yung pressure ng kaba nila. Kaya wala nangyayaring game pero nandun naman kami,” added Cadag.
Nevertheless, life goes on. Rubio will have an intact team for next season and stated that the team will have new recruits that can hopefully help it overcome the hump. While it is always hard to lose in the big dance, Rubio opted to look at the big picture.
She said, “Nandun yung puso eh. Binigay nila para sa university, para sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa amin, lahat 100 percent binigay nila sa isa’t isa. Nakita ko naman yung effort ng buong team talaga na buong-buong sila gusto manalo. It’s just that hindi lang talaga kami pinalad na maka-score pero yun yung isang bagay na masaya talaga ako sa team.
“Dahil buo kami, maganda yung puso na pinapakita nila sa game, at walang bumibitaw kahit last minute ng lang ng game.”
As for Cadag, the only way to go from here was up. “Gusto namin manalo. Mag-training pa rin kami kami simula pa lang ng school. Mag-training kami everyday, twice a day. Kailangan talaga namin manalo o magchampion.
“Next year ibigay na namin yung best namin.
