From the corridors of Perpetual Help High School, Eka Soriano once envisioned herself wearing a different shade of yellow in the UAAP.
The plan was simple: commit to Far Eastern University, help revive a program that last tasted women’s basketball glory in Season 75 (2012), and leave her mark in Morayta.
But as fate would have it, Soriano’s collegiate basketball story took a far more poetic turn.
A paperwork issue forced the Tondo-raised guard to decommit from the Lady Tamaraws, throwing her future into uncertainty just months before the UAAP Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament tip-off.
“Actually, siguro onti lang nakakaalam nito ‘eh, pero dapat nasa FEU na ako before Season 82. ‘Eh kaso, nagka-problem ako sa papers. Parang may hinahanap na ako na school na feeling ko mag-fit ako,” Soriano told Tiebreaker Times in an exclusive interview.
Determined to find a new home, she lined up tryouts with other UAAP schools. Curiously, the one school she never planned to impress would become the team she would call home.
Soriano had only gone to accompany a friend to a tryout for the University of Santo Tomas women’s basketball team. But Growling Tigresses lifer and head coach Haydee Ong saw more than a spectator — she saw a prospect.
“Tama si Eka, it was an accident na she was there nung tryout ng UST. Actually, sinasamahan lang niya yung isang player na gusto mag-tryout sa UST. I told her: ‘Nandito ka na ‘eh, bakit hindi ka pa mag-tryout?’” Ong recalled.
From the moment Soriano stepped into the Quadricentennial Pavilion for tryouts, Ong acted decisively. She called Soriano’s parents to deliver a bold statement: their daughter was destined to be a Growling Tigress.
And not as a bench player, but as a cornerstone who could truly embody the Black and Gold.
“Nung pumunta ako ng tryout ako ng UST, for me, destiny ‘yon na magkita kami ni coach Haydee. Doon nag-start yung career ko sa kanya na nakita niya ako, kinausap niya ako, and cinall niya agad yung parents ko. Walang sabi-sabi, sabi lang ng Mama ko, diyan ka na sa UST,” Soriano shared.
“From that point, doon ko minahal yung UST kasi grabe rin ako alagaan ni coach Haydee at ng buong coaching staff. Sobrang grateful ako sa kanila ako nag-start, and sa kanila rin ako mag-eend ng UAAP career.”
Exiting UST a Champion
Soriano went on to carve one of the most decorated careers in recent UST women’s basketball history.
She helped the Growling Tigresses to a runner-up finish in Season 82, then claimed bronze in Season 85 while earning MVP honors. She guided UST to the historic Season 86 championship that ended National University’s seven-year reign, and secured another runner-up finish in Season 87.
Her impact extended beyond traditional basketball.
In the UAAP 3×3 women’s tournaments, Soriano also amassed a runner-up finish in Season 84, a championship in Season 85, and bronze in Season 87.
Yet the journey was far from smooth. After her MVP campaign in Season 85, injuries threatened to derail her momentum during what could have been her prime years.
Still, Soriano displayed resilience, leading UST’s redemption campaign in UAAP Season 88 and securing an outright Finals berth after a perfect 14-game elimination sweep.
“Si Coach Haydee, wala naman siya ibang hinihiling sa akin kundi makapagtapos kami ng pag-aaral, magpakabait syempre. And kaya ‘ayon, wala ako ibang gusto ibigay sa kanya kundi yung championship lang kasi ‘yon yung way ko para mag-give back sa lahat ng binigay ng UST sa akin,” she said.
Now, on the cusp of her final games after five seasons with UST, Soriano views legacy differently.
Personal accolades, podium finishes, and broken dynasties adorn her resume, but for someone whose journey was shaped by destiny, one story remains unfinished.
With the trilogy to the UST-NU rivalry set to unfold in a best-of-three championship series tomorrow, December 6, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Soriano aims to close her UAAP career as a champion — not in the yellow she first dreamed of, but in the shade she was always meant to wear.
“Gagawin ko lang lahat yung best ko. Ibibigay ko yung lahat ko, wala ako titira. Magfo-focus lang ako sa Finals,” said Soriano.
“Wala ako ibang gagawin kundi mag-extra [at] mag-rehab para pagpasok ng Finals, healthy at para mag-end yung UAAP career ko ng healthy at maayos at para magiwan ng legacy.”
