At A Glance
- The Philippine women's football team began its title defense in a dominant fashion after blanking Timor Leste, 7-0, at the start of the 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam Thursday evening, Aug. 7.
PWFT (PFF)
The Philippine women’s football team began its title defense in a dominant fashion after blanking Timor Leste, 7-0, at the start of the 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam Thursday evening, Aug. 7.
The Filipinas hardly felt the absence of Sarina Bolden as they immediately flexed their might right from the start, with an early goal from Aaliyah Schinaman off an assist from Chandler McDaniel in the 2-minute mark.
Two more conversions from Quinley Quezada and one from Hali Long dictated the pace, with Dionesa Tolentin and late substitute Adelaide Wyrzynski combining for three more in the second half.
Up next for the Filipinas in Group B is Australia, on Sunday evening, Aug. 10, at the same venue. The Aussies stumbled in their first assignment against Myanmar, 2-0, earlier.
“Overall, I think it was pretty good, the goals that we wanted to get and we definitely could have gotten more,” said team captain Hali Long.
“So, there’s just more growing and learning, but I'm really proud of the group that we put out today and all the subs that came on the bench had really good energy,” she added.
Seeking to repeat its triumphant run in the 2022 edition that the country hosted, the Mark Torcaso-guided crew went full force, not refusing to slow down despite repeated attempts from Timor Leste to stop the bleeding.
The Filipinas not only shone offensively but also on defense which was nothing but a masterclass, forcing the Timorese to just one in shots on target department, while them having 15.
A performance that further proved why the Nationals recently improved their FIFA world rankings by two notches and took No. 39 spot, which, after sweeping their assignments in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Cambodia last month.
From the said event, the Filipinas went unblemished and posted three wins to book their ticket in the main draw set next year which will be hosted by Australia.