Far Eastern University wasted little time reminding everyone why it has been the dominant force in collegiate women’s football, opening its bid for a fifth consecutive UAAP championship with a commanding 5-0 victory over debuting National University on Wednesday evening at the UP Diliman Football Stadium.
The result also marked a historic moment for the Lady Bulldogs, who played their first-ever UAAP women’s football game as the league welcomed NU to the competition.
FEU had to wait until the second half to pull away, scoring four goals after a tightly contested opening period in which NU showed plenty of fight in its UAAP debut.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Marienell Cristobal, a FEU homegrown in her last playing year, provided the spark from set pieces. She delivered pinpoint corner kicks that Althea Rebosura and Kristine Dela Peña headed home in the 25th and 51st minutes, respectively.
Substitute midfielder Angelie Tolosa then added to NU’s woes in the 66th minute, calmly finishing inside the box to give the Lady Tamaraws a 3-0 advantage.
Julie Sacmar followed with a right-footed strike in the 81st minute before defender Kyaneza Abellar capped FEU’s dominant display with an 89th-minute goal.
For FEU coach Let Dimzon, the emphatic victory was an encouraging way to begin the season, particularly after she was able to give valuable minutes to her reserves.
“We wanted to keep the quality and the standard of the game,” said Dimzon. “We’re happy with the result because of our second stringers. It means that they wanted to be in that spot; it’s a good wake-up call for the starting 11.”
The Lady Tamaraws controlled much of the proceedings, particularly in the attacking third, leaving goalkeeper Blaine Marie Barredo with little to do for much of the afternoon.
NU goalkeeper Quenie Aira Magarso, meanwhile, was kept busy throughout the match. She made several important saves to keep the scoreline from ballooning further as the Lady Bulldogs endured their first taste of UAAP competition.
The victory extended FEU’s winning streak to 14 matches and its unbeaten run to 33 games dating back to Season 85.
Still, Dimzon stressed the importance of giving her younger and less experienced players opportunities early in the campaign rather than relying solely on the team’s established starters.
“Sa mga second stringers, especially new players, they need to get more exposure to the game,” said Dimzon. “Some of them, this is their first match kase di lahat naglalaro ng 11-a-side, so now nakikita natin kung ano nako-contribute nila and nabibigay (yung best) nila into the game.”
FEU will try to make it two wins in a row when it faces University of the Philippines at 4:30 PM on Saturday at the same venue. NU, meanwhile, will look to regroup from its historic debut when it takes on University of Santo Tomas in the 2:00 PM opener on the same day.
UP had earlier lost to La Salle, while UST was blanked in its opener against Ateneo.
