Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) – The Philippine women’s football team achieved what every other Filipino national team have yet to do: to play in the World Cup, where the world’s best football squads fight for the sporting glory and a spectacle viewed by billions of people.
“When it was solidified that we won, it was just the most magical feeling I could ever feel. I don’t think I can ever forget. Everything was happening and I felt it all at that moment,” said Philippine team striker Sarina Bolden, who made the World Cup-clinching goal in the penalty shootout.
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Aside from clinching one of the five Asian slots for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Filipinas tallied their best finish in their competition history of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with two wins in the group stage, and going all the way up to the semifinals.
“There is just a sense that we have to do this. There was no way we weren’t gonna win the game in any ways. It was just the sense of either you’re winning this or you’re not going home,” said goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who displayed a memorable performance in their World Cup-clinching quarterfinals victory over Chinese Taipei.
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For the Filipina booters, advancing to the World Cup is more than just a personal achievement and etching their names in the annals of Philippine sports history.
Their monumental 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign can light up a new generation of Filipino football players, especially women, and further develop the sport in the basketball-crazy nation.
Team co-captain Hali Long, who has been playing for the Philippines for almost six years now, knows the struggle of making the sport accessible to her countrymen and fellow women.
“It’s not easy. It takes a lot of sacrifices and a lot of heart to do this. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t want to. Having the results that we have in this campaign is just another stepping stone in the progression towards women’s football,” Long said.
Midfielder Jessica Miclat shared that within the team, they kept on pushing each other to achieve their ultimate goals on and off the field.
“Every game we’ve played is completely different. Every game has presented new challenges and different formations and like you said, the switch of roles for different players,” said Miclat. “It makes our team better because when one person is growing, everyone is growing and learning.”
Philippines head coach Alen Stajcic, who previously brought Australia to the Women’s World Cup and Olympics, credited their “Win the Moment” mantra in building a solid team chemistry and accomplishing their goals.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement by the group and a moment in history for the country. For now, every young kid back at home in the Philippines can be inspired to get to the World Cup themselves. The group is really proud of each other, but they’re even more proud to inspire the next generation,” Stajcic said during the post-game press conference after their dramatic victory against Chinese Taipei.
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For McDaniel, the Filipina booters are now role models for the sport’s growth in the country.
“To be a role model for the next generation to come, it’s so important that we want to give this team and women’s football longevity. We want to create more spaces for women in football and sports in general,” said McDaniel, who played with her sister Chandler in the World Cup-bound Philippine team.
“When things get tough, don’t give up. You can’t stop. You have to keep going until the very end,” added McDaniel.
The Filipina booters have 18 months to prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup set for July next year in Australia and New Zealand.
