Kyla Inquig made sure that the Lady Archers ended their first round campaign on top of the table
A Kyla Inquig header in the 85th minute of the game propelled the De La Salle University Lady Archers to the top of the heap, taking a 1-0 win over the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, Saturday afternoon at the historic Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.
This is La Salle’s fourth win in as many games to gain the full 12 points. FEU, on the other hand, finish their first round campaign with just one precious point.
Despite the win, Lady Archers mentor Hans-Peter Smit was disappointed with his players.
“[They] lost focus that’s why I got mad at them. During the warm-up they were too relaxed. These young athletes don’t understand that if you’re not focused and concentrated on the game at hand, you’re gonna lose it,” the veteran mentor shared.
Both teams had a wasteful first half, although it was La Salle who raised their intensity after the halftime break. La Salle goalkeeper Inna Palacios only had speculative longshots from FEU’s Mary Lam and Marie Simoy.
The Lady Tamaraws were content to play deep and push for a counterattack, while the Lady Archers controlled ball possession for most of the period. Sara Castañeda, Kyra Dimaandal, and Nina Arrieta had their chances on goal, only for Lady Tamaraws goalie Joy Chavez to deny them time and time again.
In the final stages of the match, the Lady Tamaraws conceded a free kick at the right side of their box. Irish Navaja then delivered a fantastic ball into the FEU far post, and Inquig headed it home in the 85th minute to seal the win for the Lady Archers.
La Salle prevailed 1-0 FEU to cement first place in the league table ahead of the second round.
“Nevertheless, they still showed true character but today is not the same day like the other three games. We’re just fortunate enough to score. I asked them only for one goal. It’s mental again. They just need to be more concentrated,” concluded Smit.
FEU XI: Acibar, Bejic, Belluga, Chavez, Kadil, Lam, Pachejo, Requerme, Sales, Simoy, Sudaria
La Salle XI: Andaya, Arrieta, Castañeda, Dimaandal, Duran, Inquig, Ledesma, Metillo, Navaja, Palacios, Tejada
