La Salle seeks redemption in UAAP women's football

c/o UAAP

Matches today at the UP Diliman Football Stadium

4 p.m. — DLSU vs UST (Women)

6:30 p.m. — UP vs Ateneo (Women)

Action in the women's division of collegiate football is set to commence this afternoon, with four of the five teams set to tangle at the football facility inside the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City.

Kicking things off is a matchup between La Salle and UST at 4pm.

The Lady Booters from Taft are seeking to reclaim the title they won for three straight seasons before suffering consecutive finals defeats to Far Eastern University.

Gaffer Alvin Ocampo says about the squad, "The team is ready to start the season, and the depth of the bench is great. Our target is to reclaim the title. We may not be the best coaches, but we can always bring out the best in our players."

Quoting a former Green Booter captain Jed Diamante, he adds, "Why wait for tomorrow if you can start right this moment?" Ocampo also sees this opener as a "good test... playing against a strong team led by Coach Marjo."

After their disappointing season earlier this year, UST opted to hand over the keys of the program to Marjo Allado.

He shares about their outlook for this coming campaign, "We will continue to improve every day and make adjustments based on our last game in relation to our next opponent. We have a few veteran players who lack UAAP playing minutes, and now they are eager to play."

Allado adds, "In that way, we are building a good team because the mentality is that, at any given situation, all of them think the same way. Rookies and sophomores look up to senior players, and at the same time, seniors also rely on the young ones."

Capping off the doubleheader at 630pm is the matchup between neighbors the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila.

The Fighting Maroons are seeking a finals appearance for the first time since Season 78, while the Blue Eagles are still yet to make an appearance in a final and are hoping to make the podium for the first time since Season 79.

UP mentor Anto Gonzales notes the improvement of Ateneo during the offseason, a continuation from their fourth place finish, "Even if we won against Ateneo in the pre-season, they’re a much better side this season, especially offensively, so we’re preparing for a tough challenge."

He also adds, "We’re in a rebuilding period since we only have fourteen holdovers from last year’s team, plus nine rookies in this year’s UAAP lineup."

His Ateneo counterpart Bob Manlulo echoed a bit of optimism. He says, "For this year, Ateneo will have a complete lineup for Season 87. Several key players are still going to play, plus we have new recruits who will feature this season. We’re aiming to improve on our previous performances and rankings from the past two seasons."

Defending champions Far Eastern University, who recently defeated Kaya FC to claim the United Women's Invitational Football Tournament last month, drew a bye and will begin their quest for a third straight title a week later against Ateneo.

Matches are set to be broadcast on Pilipinas Live, with tickets available for purchase at the venue.