ELISHA Lubiano’s lone strike propelled La Salle to a 1-0 victory over ertswhile undefeated Far Eastern University, denying the defending champions of an outright Final slot in the UAAP women’s football tournament on Wednesday night at the UP Football Stadium.
The third-year midfielder broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick from Jodi Banzon with a well-placed header that ultimately ended the Lady Tamaraws’ bid for a perfect 10-0 elimination round campaign for a maximum 30 points.
The defeat snapped FEU’s amazing 38-match unbeaten streak, which included 22 consecutive victories, and the Morayta-based sided closed out the elims with 27 points.
The Lady Booters’ win forced a traditional Final Four. Finishing No. 2 in the eliminations with 22 points, La Salle secured a twice-to-beat advantage against third-ranked University of the Philippines, which had 15 points.
“Yung prayer ko, kung ano binigay sa amin, okay lang. Pumunta dito yung kids with a mindset na gusto nila manalo sa game na ito. Pinakita naman talaga nila—they really want to play and beat the defending champions,” said coach Joyce Landagan, adding another milestone to her debut season with the Lady Booters.
La Salle goalkeeper Jessica Pido also delivered a commendable performance.
The result also avenged the Lady Booters’ 0-1 loss in their previous meeting on October 7, when Jelan Pabuaya scored the decisive goal for the Lady Tamaraws.
“With this win, marami ako na-apply. But again, ‘di pa tapos yung season. We will celebrate and be happy, but after this, we need to take it again—one game at a time,” Landagan said.
In the other half of the Final Four, twice-to-beat FEU will face Ateneo, which clinched the No.4 spot earlier after defeating tournament debutants National University, 2-0.
