Aurea Reaso and Kamea Mangrobang teamed up in University of the Philippines’ 2-0 win over Katipunan rival Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 85 Women’s Football Tournament, Saturday at UP Diliman Football Field.
The Fighting Maroons secured a two-goal cushion before the halftime break. Reaso broke the deadlock in the 19th minute with a fine strike while Mangrobang doubled the cushion in the first-half stoppage time. It was Mangrobang’s second goal of the season for UP.
“I thought (in the) first half, we played very well,” said Fighting Maroons coach Anto Gonzales. “We covered all the objectives. We moved the ball well. We counter-pressed well, which was one of the main objectives.”
Come the second half, UP still continued to dominate the proceedings. The Fighting Maroons were able to win several free kicks in the Blue Eagles’ half but the former failed to convert them into goals. Ultimately, UP’s first-half show was enough to secure all three points.
“But in the second half, when we started putting in players, our possession suffered. We wasted a lot of balls. Definitely, we have to be able to maintain the standard of play,” added Gonzales.
UP (4 points) will face defending champion De La Salle University next Saturday at 4:00 PM. On the other hand, Ateneo (0 points) will return to action on March 18, 2023, against La Salle at 6:00 PM. Both games will be held at the same venue.
UP XI: Eduave, Chua, Talbot, Dabalos (C), Reaso, Baroin, Cachero, Torres, Mangrobang, Facturanan, Napiza.
Ateneo XI: Lee (GK), Schroth, Tuaño, Zalamea, Avedillo, Francisco (C), Lumagui, Espiritu, Lim, Pelipel, Ignacio.
