by Waylon Galvez
Van Jacob Baccay and Andrew Harris came through with crucial plays down the stretch as the Philippines downed Indonesia, 15-13, 21-20, in the 2019 Asian Beach Handball Championship Wednesday in Weihai, China.
The victory improved the record of the Philippines to 2-2, a big morale-booster considering Franquelli’s squad lost to Vietnam (2-0) last Monday, and will next face Chinese Taipei this Thursday afternoon.
“This win only showed that yes, we can compete against our Southeast Asian neighbors,” said coach Jana Franquelli. “These teams, Indonesia and Vietnam, together with Thailand, we’ll see them again in the SEA Games.”
Mark Vincent Dubouzet of the Philippines tries to score against Indonesia during their match in the 2019 Asian Beach Handball Championship in Weihai, China. (Photos courtesy of Asian Handball Federation)
“Of course we’re very ecstatic with this win, but we know there is much to improve… especially losing to Vietnam two days ago. But we’re very positive, we’re very happy,” added Franquelli, who is being assisted by Luzviminda Pacubas, Aurora Adriano, and JC Pangilinan in the coaching staff.
The national team is relatively new as Franquelli only assembled the squad about two years ago.
In comparison, Vietnam placed fourth in the 2016 Asian Beach Games and 2017 Asian Beach Handball Championships, won the Southeast Asian Beach Handball Championships, and finished 14th in last year’s World Championships.
As for Indonesia, its national team already played in the Asian Beach Games held in Bali.
The national handball team, like Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, is using this tournament as part of its preparation for the SEA Games, which the country will host Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.