UNIVERSITY of the Philippines maintained its push for a place in the UAAP Season 85 Women’s Football Final after ripping University of Santo Tomas, 2-0, on Saturday at the UP Diliman Football Field.

Goals from Yoojin Kim and Khryztel Anne Muring in the 27th and 55th minutes, respectively, allowed UP to leapfrog De La Salle University in second place.

“A lot of the girls were close to Yoro Sangare,” said coach Anto Gonzales. “Yoro was very, very encouraging and supportive. It was an extra push also for the girls in terms of playing for Yoro.

“And of course, for Roxy (Eduave), their teammate who’s the girlfriend of Yoro and who is very, very devastated right now. She’s not here. She’s in the wake. So credit to the girls for putting up a good fight for Yoro and for Roxy," he continued.

The Fighting Maroons now have 14 points behind four wins, two draws, and two defeats. They are awaiting the result of the ongoing match between Far Eastern University and De La Salle University to know their fate.

A win for FEU brings them to the finals, while a draw will force a playoff between them and La Salle. However, a La Salle win will eliminate the Diliman school from finals contention.

If the stars align for UP, it will be their first finals appearance since Season 78 when they won the crown.

On the other hand, UST ended its season in fourth place with 10 points behind three wins, one draw, and four defeats.