Reporting note: this article draws on tiebreakertimes.com.ph; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Jelan Pabuaya scored twice as Far Eastern University defeated University of the Philippines 4-1 on Wednesday at the UP Diliman Football Stadium, a result that keeps the Lady Tamaraws on top of the FEU UAAP standings for Season 89 Collegiate Women's Football. The win was FEU's 21st consecutive victory and left the Morayta side on 24 points with a plus-24 goal difference.
UP had taken the lead against the run of the season, and the Fighting Maroons stayed in the match until the closing ten minutes. FEU's second-half response did the separating, and the margin matched the 4-0 result from the first round on September 26.
FEU UAAP standings after the 4-1 win over UP
The Lady Tamaraws remain the clear leader of the six-team field, with the 21-match streak now the defining number of their campaign. Their goal difference of plus-24 is the widest buffer at the top, and it matters in a competition where the top two places carry a twice-to-beat reward.
Nothing about Wednesday's scoreline suggests a side easing off. FEU conceded first, absorbed a UP spell of pressure, then scored three times after the hour to close the game out.
How UP's early lead came apart
Erissa Rivas gave the Fighting Maroons the opener in the 26th minute, a goal that briefly put the bottom half of the table ahead of the leaders. UP held that advantage into the interval.
Judie Arevalo found the equalizer in the 58th minute, swinging the momentum back toward FEU. Pabuaya then put the Lady Tamaraws in front in the 80th minute to complete her brace, and Knazeya Abellar sealed the result in the 86th.
The pattern is familiar for UP this season: competitive spells against the top sides, but an inability to hold a lead through the final half hour. The Fighting Maroons remain third on 12 points with a goal difference of zero.
Let Dimzon on standards and quality of play
Head coach Let Dimzon framed the win as a byproduct rather than the objective, and pointed to development as the priority for the remaining fixtures.
"I always set it to the players that they always set the standard when it comes to games; the wins are just a bonus," Dimzon said. "But during the game also, I said we need to get better and improve the quality of our play. That is our main objective, in our remaining games, to focus still on the development of our play."
That framing is worth taking at face value. FEU have won every match they have played this season, so the coaching staff's attention has shifted to how the side performs when it falls behind, as it did on Wednesday.
What the result settled for La Salle and UP
FEU's victory confirmed De La Salle University's twice-to-beat advantage for the season. The Lady Booters sit second on 19 points and cannot now be caught for the second seed.
UP, despite the defeat, had already secured a Final Four berth earlier in the day, benefiting from a 1-1 draw between Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas. The Fighting Maroons' place in the semifinals was therefore settled before kickoff, which gives the loss a different weight than the scoreline implies.
Saturday's fixtures at the same venue
FEU will look to extend the streak against Final Four hopeful Ateneo on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the UP Diliman Football Stadium. UP faces fellow semifinalist De La Salle at 4:30 p.m. at the same ground.
The original report was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
