Pinay booters settle for AFC U-14 silver

The Philippines fell short of a golden finish for its magical run in the AFC U-14 Girls Regional Championship, dropping a 0-1 setback to Thailand in their battle for the Asean zone title at Chao Anouvong Stadium in Vientiane, Laos Sunday night.

The Filipinas failed to stop forward Phattharanit Duangkew from scoring what turned out to be the marginal goal in the 19th minute and couldn’t buy an equalizer the rest of the way to settle for runner-up honors.

The silver medal still glittered as a major achievement. The feat matched the exploits of the 2014 batch in the same tourney.

Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta lauded the girls for their feat, saying it will help develop and grow women’s football further.

“We will learn from this and only get better. We are very proud of what you have done for Philippine Women’s Football,” Araneta said in a message to the silver medalists.

The U-14 booters made their presence felt in the event, posting an undefeated record of seven points (two wins and one draw) for No. 2 in Group A then thrashing Group B winner Myanmar in the semis, 5-1.

The team was formed six months ago and went to Japan to compete in the JENESYS Tournament as part of its buildup. Prior to flying to Laos, the girls spent a full month of training camp in University of the Philippines Los Baños.

“It was a tough journey but somehow we managed to survive and take home a silver,” said Marielle Benitez, who came in as one of three new assistants to coach Joyce Landagan. “Not bad for a newly-formed team and a head coach with three rookies.”