The Philippine Under-20 Women’s National Team finished their stint in the Asian Football Confederation Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers campaign with a 2-all draw against Hong Kong last Sunday at the KM16 National Stadium in Vientiane, Laos.
Goals from Robyn Dizon and Isabela Pasion allowed the Filipinas U20 to finish in second place in Group A, with four points on one win, one draw, and one loss.
Dizon scored in the 11th minute, while Pasion added another one in the 54th minute.
After Dizon’s first goal, Hong Kong drew level in the 24th minute off Lee Alexis following three unsuccessful attempts.
Leung Hong Kiu Anke added a second goal in the first minute of added time in the first half with a shot from outside the box to go up 2-1.
Philippine women’s Under-20 coach Nahuel Arrarte said the talent pool through this kind of a development program will help the country sustain its progress in international women’s football.
Arrarte believes that the competition “highlighted the importance of making sure that we continue to grow development programs in the Philippines to increase the talent pool.”
The team was only formed a few weeks ago and underwent a camp for a week in Manila before flying to Laos a week before the first match.
Unseeded for the tournament, the Filipinas’ U20 team also ended up in a tough group that included powerhouse China.
The Filipinas U20 bowed to China, 0-6, before recording the country’s first win at this level in 11 years when they stunned host Laos, 1-0.
“It was a great experience for the players to see what’s required to compete at this level,” added Arrarte.