THE UAAP Season 79 women’s football tournament resumes tomorrow at the FEU-Diliman pitch, with University of Santo Tomas hoping to seal a title duel with De La Salle.
Before the competition took a three-week break to pave the way for the country’s successful qualification in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the Lady Archers are firmly on top with a maximum of 18 points, while the Tigresses are in second place in the table with 10 points.
UST, which is trying to hold off Ateneo (seven) and defending champion University of the Philippines (five), needs at least a win or two straight draws in the last two matches to progress in the title match opposite De La Salle on May 7.
The Tigresses only need to beat already-eliminated Far Eastern University on Wednesday to forge a one-match final with the Lady Archers. If it fails on its first try, UST still has another shot of making it by defeating De La Salle in the final eliminations’ matchday on Sunday at the FEU-Diliman pitch.
For the Lady Eagles and the Lady Maroons, their chance of foiling a Lady Archers-Tigresses championship is not in their hands.
De La Salle, which will play UP on Wednesday, has been solid all-season behind the league’s leading goalscorer in Sara Castañeda, the hero of the Philippines’ qualification to the Asian Cup in Amman, Jordan next year.
The Lady Archers need this one so badly after their men’s team failed to advance in the Final Four, ending a streak of four straight appearances.
UST, on the other hand, has been resurgent, thanks to Charisa Lemoran, who with four goals, has the second most behind Castañeda’s eight.