ATENEO pulled the rug from under defending champion University of the Philippines, scoring a 1-0 win in the opener of the UAAP Women's football tournament on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Senior midfielder Antonette Amoncio needed just five minutes to push her squad ahead through a free kick.
From outside the box, Amoncio sent the ball above goalkeeper Nicole Adlawan's head and into the back of the net for the only goal of the match.
The Lady Maroons had several chances to at least salvage a point but Marie Rianne Caparos displayed excellent goalkeeping to keep the champs at bay.
"Nung first half ang ganda talaga ng pinakita nila. Talagang they played to their position," said Ateneo women’s team coach JP Merida.
"Nung second half talagang tumaas intensity ng UP. Pero talagang tumaas din yung level ng mga players ko," he added.
Caparos twice denied forward Cristina Reyes in the early part of the second half, including one in the counter in the 54th minute.
The Lady Eagles will now look to build on this win as they take on FEU in the five-team tournament, while UP tries to bounce back when it takes on last year’s runner-up La Salle.
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