Wax and Wane: UST Wins It's First UAAP Women's Football Championship Over La Salle

Wax and Wane
UST wins its first UAAP Women's Football Title
De La Salle 2 vs. UST 5
by rick olivares

At the end of the game, the gruff exterior gave way to a man who is also a father. The time for angry words had given way to that of encouragement and comfort; words that will carry even bigger weight in the future.

The De La Salle Lady Archers football team huddled on the pitch. Many players were in tears and some were in denial. The season that had gone so well saw a sudden script change when the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses ran the perennial favorites ragged on the Ateneo pitch en route to a 4-1 win in penalties.

At halftime, Hans Smit pronounced himself satisfied that his team had come out aggressively and had put the hungry team from España on the defensive. "It took them one game to bring out who they are but at least na wala yung kaba and they are playing with a lot of confidence," said the multi-titled coach of his team.

And it took a Clarisse Lazaro goal at the 62nd minute to re energize a La Salle team that had hit a scoring drought. Despite battling a troublesome knee injury since the start of the second round, Lazaro summoned her championship pride to boot a shot in past UST keeper Irish Rapal soon after the start of the second half.

The effect on the Lady Archers was instantaneous as the team redoubled their efforts to repel UST. But in the 68th minute, a mistake by the defense sunk their confidence and perhaps torpedoed their chances of winning the game and the championship.

Off a UST cross, left defender Martie Plaza was unable to clear the ball as she kicked the air while the ball slipped through. An alert Marianne Narciso, the super sub whose blazing speed had given the La Salle defense nightmares all season long, controlled the ball and booted it from the some 12 yards out past keeper Haya Ibarra.

All season long, La Salle surrendered only one goal (and that was also to UST) but in the space of two matches, they had given up three.

Although the match remained scoreless from thereon until the additional two ten-minute extra periods, UST had seized control.

By the time the game went into penalties, the weight of losing its last several matches in a shootout weighed heavily on La Salle.

Both squads scored on their first try courtesy of DLSU's Karla Pacificador and UST's Joma Clemente. But on the Lady Archers' next attempt, Lazaro put her right boot way underneath the ball and her volley flew way up and above the crossbar.

The veteran midfielder placed her hands over her head. It was a crucial miss and her team knew it. Defender Anna Frumenti who was watching from a distance lay back on the pitch and rubbed her disbelieving eyes. It was happening all over again.

They had lost to FEU in Game Two of last year's UAAP Finals 4-1 and to UST in the Metro manila Girls Football Association 4-3. And like England when it comes to penalty shootouts, they were about to be snakebit once more.

The next two UST shots by Shira Francisco and April Reyes went high to the right and although Ibarra guessed right as the Tigresses seemed to be telegraphing their kicks, they were powerful enough strikes to find the back of the net.

The Tigresses' scores perhaps unnerved Samantha Nierras, La Salle's second leading scorer behind Jessica Ryon, as she sent a weak roller that Rapal easily deflected away.

After Rapal stopped La Salle's fourth attempt -- making it 4-1 in the shootout for the gold and black -- the UST bench ran onto the field and unfurled a long streamer that simply read, "Campione."

They had the 5-2 win and their first women's football title.

A year ago, Rapal was playing defender but was oft on the bench for UST until coach BJ Valenzuela converted her to the first string net minder. And after her side's historic first win, she was adjudged Best Goalkeeper. In the clutch, she outperformed Ibarra who was brilliant all throughout the tournament.

Valenzuela congratulated his prized pupil who was pogoing around in glee. "Maybe now, they'll talk about us and celebrate with us," cried out the former footballer himself in reference to the lack of buzz on the campus about football (there was no ranking UST official present during the game).

While the UST squad celebrated on the field, the Lady Archers gamely put on smiles as they posed with their runner-up trophy as the media clicked away.

Teammates Mary Ignacio was hailed as tournament MVP while Narciso was Rookie of the Year. Ryon was the Top Striker while Nierras was the Best Midfielder.

DLSU Team Captain Issa Camara who is unsure to return for the next season along with Lazaro placed her hands on her teammate who was blaming herself for her missed penalty. It will be a long off season for Lazaro who will have to seek parental approval before playing out her final year as well as undergoing treatment for the water in her banged up knees.

As Smit gathered his broken squad, he told them that there was no shame in losing because it was clearly UST's year. At the end of Game One, he chided them for weeping when there was one more match to play. By Game Two's end with no tomorrow left to play, he reminded them of what they had accomplished in the larger picture. Banged up and beaten, they had upheld their school's fine tradition of football excellence even if they fell short of the ultimate goal. They had made the finals fourteen straight years; no mean feat. Maybe they had to work much harder to reclaim the championship. And indeed, that would be sweeter.

Title number eight was still beyond their grasp, but what they had going for them was their drive and their mettle. They'll be back, Smit said. He knew it in his heart and felt it in his bones. They broke their huddle with a prayer and one final cheer.

Then Hans Smit hugged his kids before he trotted over to the winning side to congratulate them.


Here are the starting formations:

DLSU
Haya Ibarra
Maan Del Carmen Anna Frumenti Martie Plaza
Issa Camara
Tasha Alquiros Karla Pacificador Sam Nierras Sumo Lazaro
Jess Ryon
Pia Bravo

Herlyn Salmon
Mary Ignacio
Aiza Mordero Precy Rubio April Reyes Jowe Barruga
Shira Francisco Carra Dagandara Louella Amamio Juvelyn Artillaga
Irish Rapal
UST

UST substitutions:
Mai-Mai Narciso for Herlyn Salmon
Vanessa Fabon for Precy Rubio
Joma Clemente for Aiza Mordero

DLSU substitutions:
Miel Ampil for Jess Ryon
Joannie Del Rosario for Tasha Alquiros


My notes:
I was not nervous this time around in front of the camera. As I said last time, it takes some getting used to and prior to the Game 1 telecast of last Thursday, I had not done that since the Wild Card interview last January.

Hahahaha. Thanks, to Direks Abet and Al!