Fillipinas, the Philippine Women’s National Football Team did it again!! After making history when the team won a berth in the 2023 FIFPA World Cup, on May 21, 2022 Filipinas won a historic bronze in the 31st Southeast Asian Games. This is the Philippines' first medal in women's football since 1985.
Head coach Alen Stajcic was ecstatic with the team winning 2 : 1 against Myanmar. Goals were scored at the second by Sarina Bolden and Quinley Quezada in the 73rd and 76th minutes, respectively after it was down by a goal in the 23rd minute.
“It was the best performance we had in this tournament,” said Stajcic. “We showed amazing heart and spirit to the death to get the win. It was a performance to be proud of.”
Stajcic added that this Bronze Medal victory is a good start for the Filipinas with the AFF Women’s Championship happening this July, and very significantly for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia & New Zealand.
“We look this as our first medal in the SEA Games as a big achievement for the group. We are a new team playing at this level and competing against Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar so we’re going to have ups and downs,” added Stajcic. “We still have a long way to go and get to their level but tonight we showed we can compete with these 3 teams in Southeast Asia and if we keep on improving, next time I’ll expect a better medal.”
The Filipino-Australian community came out in big support during Filipinas’ Sydney camp in March-April before the team flew out to Vietnam for the SEA Games. No doubt Filipinas’ fans and supporters will be in big force to watch the 2023 FIFA World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
The Philippine Women’s National Team’s success is underpinned by the solid support of its Fil-Aus Team Manager Jefferson Cheng and devoted Team Support Staff, the Philippine Sports Commission, and MVP Sports Foundation.
The Australian Filipina wishes the team all the best in their upcoming matches and preparation for next year’s big event.
(Acknowledgement : info and photos from PWNFT FB page and the Philippine Football Federation)