Carmona, Cavite — Coming off a humbling defeat on opening night, the Kaya FC-Iloilo Women’s Team bounced back with a vengeance—besting Tuloy FC 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Kimberly Pariña set up between the sticks, ahead of whom lined up the centerback pairing of Mary Lam and Mea Bernal. Coach Ghen Ariel and Zhyrelle Belluga completed the backline, slotting in as left and right fullbacks respectively. Irish Navaja, Bhebe Lemoran, Ryannie Dahildahil, Hazel Lustan, and Sophia started in midfield for Kaya, while Shelah Cadag led the charge up top.
Iloilo came out in much sharper form than they did in the first game. They were the aggressors both in and out of possession, setting the pace from the opening whistle with crisp passing and ball-winning in the midfield areas.
Shelah Cadag struck the first blow in the 25th minute. Sophia Lyttle got into a deep position up the right flank on a throw-in, where she sent a high cross into the penalty area. Tuloy were first to the ball and tried to head it away, but Cadag picked up the shallow clearance—controlled the ball with her right foot, shook two defenders by cutting to her left, and finished neatly in the bottom left corner. (1-0)
Kaya doubled the lead ten minutes later in the 35th, slicing through the backline with some stellar build up play. Following a long free kick, possession volleyed between the two teams at midfield. Marigen Ariel intercepted the ball and sent a diagonal ball up to Shelah with her back to the defense, right as Ryannie Dahildahil made a perfectly-timed run between the lines.
Cadag’s through pass made its way to the onside midfielder, who dragged the defenders to the left side of the box before crossing right to Hazel Lustan. The Barotac Nuevo native had both time and space to spare, so she took a patient touch with her right foot before striking strong and low towards goal. While the keeper got a glove down in time, she could do nothing but watch helplessly as the ball bounced in anyways. (2-0)
The red shirts wouldn’t go down without a fight, however—retaliating in their very first possession when play resumed. An awkward bounce from a backline interception attempt left Tuloy’s Evangelista free to brave Kaya’s final third uncontested. One-on-one with the forward, Kimberly Pariña was just a split second late to the ball and allowed them to snatch a goal back in the 36th minute. (2-1)
Conceding immediately after scoring was the wake up call Kaya needed to invigorate their focus and effort for the rest of the match. Determined to get back the breathing space they just lost, the ladies found joy once again just four minutes later.
In the 40th minute, Nicole Ramores skilfully evaded two pressures up the right flank before sending it forward to a cluster of players near the edge of the Tuloy penalty area. The defense tried to clear the ball away, but Bhebe Lemoran intercepted it and killed its momentum entirely.
Navigating the tight space, she sent a through pass to Shelah striding between the line. The forward took two deft lefty touches to cut around her defender before finding the bottom left corner once again. (3-1)
Only the first half would see goals scored, but Kaya were able to continue their display of match control until the final whistle. While not a perfect performance by any means, they showed a marked improvement in their execution in every phase of play—which bodes very well moving forward.
Coach Marigen Ariel utilized all five available substitutions on the evening:
- Nicole Ramores checked in early for Sophia Lyttle in the 38th minute.
- Kate Dacanay relieved Coach Ariel at the halftime break.
- Kyra Dimaandal came in for Mary Lam in the 74th minute.
- Lastly, Mae Sullano and Cesca Crespo subbed in for Zhyrelle Belluga and Nicole Ramores in the 81st minute.
No Iloilo players made their way into the referee’s book in this match.
The Kaya Women’s Team have a busy day ahead of them on Sunday, November 13th—their next PFF Women’s Cup fixture against UST at 8:00 AM and the 7’s Football League Semifinals versus Nomads FC at 6:30 PM.
