A YOUNG set player was brought in when the defending champion Philippine national women’s football team played against Australia on Sunday in the ASEAN Women’s MSIG Serenity Cup 2025 in Vietnam.
National coach Mark Torcaso wanted to test the toughness of the Filipinas and the Australian side provided the challenges he was looking for.
“I’m extremely proud of our players. We’ve brought in a very, very young group, we’ve got two 16-year-olds that have played for our country today, that came on against an under-23 age group team,” said Torcaso.
The Filipinas fell, when Alana Jancevski chipped in the winning goal before the first half ended, handing Australia a 1-0 win over the Philippines at the Việt Trì Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam.
This put the Australians and the Filipinas on even terms at second spot in the Group B standings with their 1-0-1 win-draw-loss records.
Earlier, team skipper Win Theingi Tun scored a hat-trick as Myanmar claimed a 3-0 win over Timor-Leste, to move up in the solo lead with a 2-0 record.
“We’re extremely proud of the way they fought right to the end and I thought we should have actually pinched a draw. We can take this as a positive step in the game against Myanmar,” added Torcaso.
Before the team went to Vietnam, Torcaso made assurances that the Filipinas will be able to beat the Australians in their first encounter, given how strong the Aussies are.
Among the young players, who debuted were 16-year-old Fil American booters Tea Pidding and Nina Mathelus. Pidding is from Del Monte High School in San Diego, California, while Mathelus comes from Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts.
The Australians were in possession most the time, but the Filipinas’ goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel stopped four of five big attacks with her saves and blocks during the encounter.
Leticia McKenna made an attempt in the 42nd minute twice, with the first going wide, while the second one had McDaniel blocking it with ease.
A minute into injury time, Jancevski picked the ball up on the right side and bent low for left-foot shot into the opposite corner of the goal.
This was after Filipinas’ booter and newcomer Azumi Oka, a rising sophomore on the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women’s soccer team, made a move to retreat to block to the shot.
