FILIPINAS WANT MORE By Josef Ramos
ADAY after making football history, members of the national women’s football team vowed to raise the bar high heading to the next year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Filipinas, no longer called the Malditas, put the country on the international football map with a 3-0 conquest of perennial powerhouse Thailand to win the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship on Sunday night before an enthusiastic crowd of 8,257 at the historic Rizal Memorial Stadium. The players are craving for more. “We have a bunch of stuff in store so I think the only place we go is up,” 26-year-old Filipino-american Sarina Bolden told media a few minutes before riding the bus back to their hotel. “We just have to keep learning, working and growing.”
“I’m really excited about what’s next,” she added.
Bolden nailed the third goal—the coup de grace—for Filipinas in the 88th minute with a header, sinking the Thais deep down to the bottom.
“It’s been a work in progress for a really, really long time,” Bolden said. “When you stick with something, believe in it, you will achieve it. We dedicated our lives to this.”
Defender Hali Long told Businessmirror on Sunday night while taking photos and celebrating on the pitch with teammates that she was “absolutely in cloud nine.”
“It’s absolutely unreal,” the 27-yearold from Missouri said. “We just brought the gold home—our first gold.”
Despite proving themselves worthy of a spot in the Women’s World Cup for the first time after this victory, Long said the World Cup would be a different preparation, a different arena and battle to prepare for.
“It’s an extra boost of confidence but we also set the bar really extra high for ourselves. So we have to keep pushing to the World Cup,” Long said.
Australian coach Alen Stajcic, however, reminded the players to stay humble despite conquering Southeast Asian football at home.
“Whatever the situation, I always reminded them of respect, humility, gratitude and always keep their feet on the ground, staying humble,” said Stajcic, who led the Filipinas to a bronze finish in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam last May. “We are just really greedy and hungry for success.”
Defender Jessika Cowart scored the first goal in the eighth minute before forward Katrina Guillou made it a comfortable 2-0 lead with another goal in the 20th minute. Olivia Alexandra Mcdaniel’s defense of the goal was also impenetrable all night long.
After the AFF, the Filipinas are bound for several friendlies in every available FIFA window.