After being stuck in second place for the majority of the start of the 2019 PFF Women’s League tournament, the De La Salle University Lady Booters have ascended to the top in Week Five.
But Diliman-based teams University of the Philippines and Maroons FC have found their groove last weekend in Carmano as well.
Mangrobang hands Maroons first league win
Disappointed at not winning at home in their last fixture, Maroons FC made sure to get the three points at their next outing and they did so against Tigers FC 2-1.
Alyssa Ube struck early to give Maroons the advantage after four minutes before Valerie Polido pulled it back in the next two.
Before the halftime break, Kamea Mangrobang found inspiration to give the lead back to Maroons. This proved to be enough for the Diliman-based club to seal the win.
“It was a positive result for us, not only the score but the team play that we really wanted was executed well,” said Steph Permanes who hopes his team can build on this momentum.
“The confidence level of the girls is getting there already, tumataas na, but of course we have a lot of areas to improve on pa rin.”
UP grab second straight victory, smothers Green Archers United
Green Archers United FC have also been enjoying a decent run only to be stopped in their tracks by a surging University of the Philippines 5-2.
Khryztel Muring’s early strike just under three minutes seemed to serve as a good omen for UP. In the 20th minute, Mae Sullano leveled for GAU. But then just a few moments after, Eva Barnes handed UP the lead again.
Two minutes after the restart, Marilou Layacan drew both teams level again. However, UP was determined not to give up on the full points with Abigail Corvera and Janina Arellano securing the win in the 65th and 89th minutes.
Despite the win, Franco Bambico remains wary of his side’s win.
“We scored an early goal but we didn’t meet one of our main objectives which is to use their heads while playing. So we were a little bit shaky at the start. We were only able to adjust the game a little after twenty minutes,” he said.
Tuloy stays perfect after beating Nomads
As one of two teams left with a winning streak, Tuloy FC were keen on keeping their record perfect after beating Nomads 4-2.
Isabella Bandoja opened the scoring for Tuloy in the eighth minute, with Richielyn Nunez following up a minute later for an early 2-0 lead. In the 22nd minute, taliswoman Jonalyn Lucban extended their lead to three.
Joyce Semacio refused to stay silent and spoiled the one-way party with a goal in injury time.
In the second half, Nomads were outdone early and conceded to Diana Castro just two minutes in. Jayson Turco’s side attempted to clean up defensively but Kristine Cosgrove provided a late consolation goal for Nomads at near full time.
“May kulang pa, kaya kailangan pagbubutihan pa namin sa training para makakuha kami ng magandang result,” said the coach who detested conceding goals.
Maligalig brace leads DLSU past Stallion-Hiraya
De La Salle University knew it had to stay unbeaten if it wanted to keep the race at the top close with both University of Sto. Tomas and Tuloy FC.
The Lady Booters from Taft made sure to take care of business after blanking Stallion-Hiraya FC 3-0.
Rookie Michaela Maligalig finally came through for the ladies in green with a brace in the 25th and 46th minutes that virtually sealed the win. Mary Cristine Duran’s strike in the 49th minute was just the icing on the cake.
“It was a good enough come back from our last game,” admitted Hans-Peter Smit who was less than happy with the draw against Far Eastern University.
“Not yet that satisfied on our rookies’ games but this is a learning curve for the team since we have fifteen of them. So every game will be a lesson,” the La Sallian mentor added.
The win puts DLSU back on top of the table with just a single point advantage over UST and Tuloy.
League Standings:
DLSU – 10 pts (+9 GD)
UST – 9 pts (+13 GD)
Tuloy FC – 9 pts (+7 GD)
FEU – 7 pts (+5 GD)
GAU FC – 6 pts (-4 GD)
UP – 6 pts (-6 GD)
Nomads FC – 4 pts (-5 GD)
Maroons FC – 4 pts (-10 GD)
Tigers FC – 0 pt (-3 GD)
Stallion-Hiraya – 0 pt (-6 GD)
On Deck
The PFF Women’s League continues on Saturday, August 31 at the PFF National Training Center with Tigers FC facing De La Salle University at 8:00 A.M. followed by Tuloy FC taking on Maroons FC at 10:00 A.M.
On Sunday, September 1, the University of Santo Tomas will battle Nomads FC at 8:00 A.M. while Far Eastern University will look to bounce back against Stallion-Hiraya FC at 10:00 A.M.
