THE Perm-D'DS and Holy Child Red Eagles hacked out rousing wins at the start of the 18th Acosta Cup ladies open football tournament at the Davao City-UP Mindanao Sports Complex field on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
Perm-D'DS crushed Lasang Football Club (FC), 9-1, behind Jean Templaza who stole the show by netting six goals in the 15th, 43rd, 53rd, 65th, 72nd, and 73rd minutes.
Her teammate Isabelle Renee Taojo also contributed to the onslaught with a hat-trick, scoring in the 10th, 38th, and 73rd minutes.
Mary Joy Nalo managed to salvage the lone goal for Lasang FC in the 46th minute.
The second match saw the Holy Child Red Eagles overpowering Davao City National High School (DCNHS)-Khanj with a convincing 11-2 victory through the heroics of Jasmine Navarro and Mae Evangelista.
Although DCNHS-Khanj took an early lead with a goal by Rica Bajenting in the 13th minute, Holy Child's Janelle Lansang quickly equalized in the 14th minute. Navarro then ignited a scoring spree, netting three consecutive goals in the 16th, 30th, and 34th minutes, giving the Red Eagles a 4-1 lead.
May Emmanualle Exdang pulled one back for DCNHS-Khanj in the 42nd minute, bringing the score to 4-2.
However, Holy Child dominated the rest of the match. Joanne Angeline Kinsella (46th), Mae Evangelista (51st, 54th, 75th), Charience Isabida (60th), Samantha May Pilapil (68th), and Lansang (73rd) completed the mission for Holy Child, securing a convincing victory.
Sunday games were still ongoing as of press time.
Davao City Councilor Luna Acosta shared her excitement about the ongoing 18th year of the exclusive all-female Acosta Cup competition during a media interview live-streamed on the Acosta Cup Facebook page.
In the interview, Acosta expressed joy over the continuity of the tournament, highlighting that female players aged 15 and above are eligible to participate. She emphasized the growing participation this year, celebrating the increased number of teams joining the competition.
Eight teams are entered in the bootfest, with matches taking place every Saturday and Sunday until the first week of December.
Acosta, the daughter of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Mabel Sunga Acosta, founder of the Acosta Cup, said that prizes will be awarded to the top four teams, along with special individual honors.
The event, according to her, aims to provide opportunities for women in sports, particularly in football. MLSA