An Ateneo own goal in the 62nd minute proved to be the deciding moment in the first meeting of the year between the University of Santo Tomas Women’s Football team and their counterparts from the Ateneo de Manila University. The goal gave the Tigresses their first victory of Season 77, 1-0, at the FEU-FERN football field in Diliman, Quezon City.
The Tigresses opened with a hot start in the first half, mounting attack after attack but could not get through the wide reach of Ateneo goalie Athina Sabio. A flurry of UST attacks came between the 30 and 40 minute marks of the half, including one that came in the 37th minute, when UST’s Hazel Listan found herself one on one with Sabio, but had the ball swiped from under her feet. The score remained tied without a single point scored by halftime.
It was the Lady Eagles’ turn to go all out of the offensive in the second half, with Cathleen Kamille Rodriguez managing to get into position to get a couple of good looks in first few minutes of the second half. A successful strike from the right wing came close to unshackling UST’s last line of defense, but the ball ended up sailing just inches past the left post.
The own goal took place when an Ateneo defender tried to clear the ball while attempting to stop a UST attack, but wound up kicking it towards Ateneo defender Kimberlee Jimenez, who accidentally nudged it past her own goal keeper and into the net.
The Lady Eagles, in search of the much needed equalizer, continued to keep up the counterattack in the remaining minutes of the game. A free kick from Rodriguez in the 71st minute came close to giving the Lady Eagles the equalizer, but the ball landed in the hands of UST goalie Princess Aguilar.
Both teams continued to mount attack after attack in the last ten minutes, Ateneo in particular getting two good strikes on goal in injury time, but by the final whistle, it was the Tigresses who walked away with the win.
