Far Eastern University cruised past National University, 5-0, to secure its sixth straight victory in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Women’s Football Tournament on Wednesday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
The victory marked the 19th consecutive win for the ‘five-peat’-seeking Lady Tamaraws and extended their unbeaten streak to 34 matches, having collected at least a point in each outing.
They also replicated their 5-0 rout of the Lady Bulldogs in their opening-day clash last September 23.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Composure and attitude in front of goal were among the key aspects head coach Let Dimzon wanted to emphasize in the second round, and the defending champions got off to a strong start.
Angel Egay opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a close-range finish before Kyza Cholina doubled FEU’s advantage 16 minutes later. Althea Rebosura and Judie Arevalo then added goals in the 39th minute and stoppage time, respectively, to give the Lady Tamaraws a commanding four-goal lead at halftime.
The second half proved more challenging for FEU’s attack, though, as NU put up a stronger defensive stand. But substitute Tiffany Trinidad found the back of the net with just eight minutes remaining to complete the rout.
“Well, honestly ‘yung first half namin is medyo maganda siya, especially since naka-goal agad kami 11 minutes pa lang ng game. So, much better lang nung first half than the second half in terms of scoring,” said coach Fitch Arboleda.
“Although we tried to manage lang rin ‘yung load ng mga games. We managed lang rin ‘yung mga subs para hindi kami mahirapan kasi’yung schedule medyo tight, so kailangan rin naming i-rotate ‘yung mga players,” added Arboleda, a former University of the East player who now serves as a coach.
FEU moved further clear at the top of the standings with 18 points, five ahead of De La Salle University, which has 13 after being held to a 1-1 draw by University of Santo Tomas earlier in the day.
The Lady Tamaraws’ goal difference stood at plus-x.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Meanwhile, NU stuck to its plan of employing a low block early in the match and nearly caught FEU off guard with an early scoring opportunity. However, Lourdes Ambahan’s run and attempt from the flank came to nothing as Blaine Barredo calmly collected the ball.
Steffanie Escalante also came close to scoring in the second half, capitalizing on NU’s improved spacing and possession, but her attempt failed to produce a goal.
The Lady Tamaraws will shoot for their milestone 20th consecutive victory when they face the dangerous UST Lady Booters on Saturday, October 17, at 4:30 PM.
On the other hand, the Lady Bulldogs — who have yet to earn a point this season — will look to break through against the in-form University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the following match at 7:00 PM.
