La Salle renew its storied rivalry with Far Eastern University, as the Lady Booters will try again to regain the UAAP women’s football throne while Lady Tamaraws seek a historic five-peat.
The one-off Final is set at 5 p.m. Friday at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The the Lady Booters are seeking for a 12th title, and the first since 2019 and are looking to deny the Lady Tamaraws a record-extending 15th championship.
After finishing the eliminations in second place with 22 points, La Salle moved one step closer to reclaiming the crown by eliminating No. 3 UP, 2-1, via penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes in the other Final Four pairing.
First-year coach Joyce Landagan believes her players must sustain their work rate until the final whistle if they are to overcome the defending champions and bring the trophy back to the Lady Booters.
“Lagi ‘yong goal namin, we aim do’n sa pinaka-highest na makukuha namin,” said Landagan. “But again, we need to also remind ourselves na we need to work hard for it and really show kung ano ‘yong pinakita namin no’ng elimination — ‘yon din ‘yong kailangan namin or mas higitan pa namin ‘yon. Very, very important na mas higitan pa.”
FEU, which topped the women’s elimination round with 27 points, booked the first Final ticket after easing past fourth-ranked Ateneo, 5-1, in the Final Four.
The two powerhouses split their regular-season meetings, with the Lady Tamaraws claiming a 1-0 victory on September 30 before the Lady Booters answered with an similar scoreline on October 28. La Salle’s win also snapped FEU’s 38-match unbeaten streak, which dated back to Season 85.
