Moving Goalposts

It was nearly one in the morning, Philippine time, when Sarina Bolden slotted home the penalty that would propel her country’s football team to their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup berth. For the Filipino football community who had forgone sleep, the breathtaking moments unfolding on their screens felt like the hazy edges of a dream, until the realization dawned and sent resounding cheers rippling through the air. But perhaps none was louder than the pounding hearts of the players themselves, bursting with adrenaline and hysteria as the ball snagged the back of the net. Two and a half hours behind in Pune, India, where the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup was in full swing, the members of the Philippine Women’s National Football Team (PWNFT) leapt and cried and yelled with enough force to fill the stadium. It was as though they had not tired in the slightest, even after constantly shouting instructions and running themselves to the ground for more than 120 minutes. They’d fought tooth and nail to get here—to this very moment, a chance to compete on international football’s biggest stage. While this roster rightfully etched their names in the history books, the PWNFT story stretches far beyond this match and this tournament. It was a goal that took years to forge, carving out a rugged path where many dreams have been lost—and revived—along the way.

After impressively coming second in a group that had World #11 Australia and 2019 World Cup participants Thailand in it, the PWNFT stepped onto the field for their first quarterfinals matchup in Women’s Asian Cup history. Tournament trophy aside, a 2023 World Cup spot was on the line—one that the Philippines had just missed out on last time around, conceding Asia’s final slot to South Korea in a disappointing 0-5 loss. Those unfamiliar with the team may think little of the difference between the sixth place finish at the 2018 Women’s Asian Cup versus advancing to the quarters and semis this year. But the true mark of improvement is not in the rank, but in the style of play. While the Philippines has for a long time rallied behind the ‘puso’ battle cry, there was something much different about this roster from the team that used to hoof the ball long and sit back in a compact defense. But from the first moment against Thailand, they performed with defensive solidity, with vice captain Hali Long and Dominique Randle steering the backline, yet also managed to win possession in the midfield and execute attacking patterns like a well-drilled side. Despite Thailand seeing more of the ball, the PWNFT had some of the better sights on goal during the game, and eventually found the breakthrough (slipping through the hands of the opposing goalkeeper) to claim their first victory over the side in 13 meetings, 1-0. This competition has definitely seen a lot of seemingly miraculous firsts, but it’d be a disservice to think that the PWNFT’s steady rise has only been due to luck. Over the last few years especially, women’s football in the Philippines has been growing stronger, in large part owing to the sheer resolve of the players to fight for the flag—and for their right to play on the pitch. Prior to the meteoric run at the Women’s Asian Cup, the PWNFT had reached the semifinals for the first time at the AFF Women’s Championship and Southeast Asian Games in 2019, holding their own against the likes of Myanmar and Vietnam who used to rather easily smash in multiple goals each time. Former national team players like Natasha Alquiros and Patrice Impelido, who had captained the side for four years, previously shared in a Grow Her Game forum that past rosters had little time to build a concrete identity, hampered by a revolving door of players and coaching infrastructure (or lack thereof). The top stars from the UAAP typically receive call-ups to the national roster, but only few continue professionally beyond their collegiate years. You couldn’t fault the players either; with little fallback mechanisms, some make the hard choice to walk away from the sport they love and choose a more stable career path. For each new iteration of the national roster, however, that meant compressed bootcamps, inconsistent formations, and an overall lack of proactiveness on the pitch. But as Impelido played out her final matches, the foundations of a rebuild were already put into place with a core group that had stuck together for about three years, pushing the country to what was then its best-ever FIFA World Ranking at 67th in late 2019. (That was, until the pandemic struck and derailed much of the team’s progress.) Despite the setbacks, the PWNFT recently rose to 64th in the world after clinching victories at the Women’s Asian Cup qualification rounds and then pleasantly surprised even their own fans with the evident improvements in their play at the main event.

In the quarterfinals matchup, the PWNFT’s willingness to wrestle back the ball and switch gears to go into offense meant that Chinese Taipei couldn’t just calmly recycle possession while trying to break down the team’s organized formation. The backline continued to stand firm and looked unrattled even as the opposing players skirted their way into the box. It was also exciting to see the squad playing progressive passes to break lines and putting in decent crosses to create goal-scoring opportunities. Although there were moments where the team was wasteful, like trying long-distance shots that sailed wide of the mark or overhitting the ball when they might have done better to keep possession for a bit longer, the PWNFT were much more refined in their play. Even as Starting XI saw several changes over the four games played, it never felt as though there was a drastic drop in quality as players rotated—perhaps a testament to what a good three months of training can do under a top coach in Alen Stajcic and co. The ambitious appointment definitely paid dividends, bringing onboard an experienced coaching staff who recognized the potential of these players and asserted we could make something out of this. After having most of the ball in the first half and seeing chances just barely go begging, the PWNFT got a much-deserved goal at the 49’ mark, as Quinley Quezada flicked the ball past Chinese Taipei’s keeper. A touch of brilliance sent the Filipino football community into a frenzy, and suddenly the lofty goal of a World Cup berth became that much more tangible. But fired up and chasing the game, Chinese Taipei found a moment of magic from Zhuo Li-Ping, who cut inside on her left and unleashed a strike from long range that sent the ball curling into the top corner. The Philippines hardly did anything wrong in that sequence; a screamer’s a screamer. Of course, it might have been a bit better for everyone’s racing hearts if the team had secured an insurance goal. But the PWNFT continued to showcase their resilience, chasing down the opponents as they got into dangerous positions and nicking the ball away with perfectly timed tackles (two from Long in the dying moments of the game, and in the 18-yard box, no less). The players’ work ethic hardly faltered even as fatigue seeped in during extra time, thundering down the flanks to try and find a way past Chinese Taipei and very importantly not retreating into their own shell despite conceding.

While many Filipina footballers have hung up their boots before the country clinched the elusive ticket to the World Cup, they can’t have been more proud to see the PWNFT grow into a gritty and unrelenting side—redemption from all the years of calling for support to hoist local women’s football to a better position. Getting there, however, the team just had to do it the hard way. After 120 minutes played, give or take with stoppage time, neither side could break the deadlock, leaving fate to be decided on a shootout. The first two penalties from both squads went off without a hitch, but the Philippines caved first, failing to score their third spot kick. Then the opponents faltered on the fourth attempt, the ball clattering into the goalpost and rolling harmlessly away—a lifeline...that the PWNFT did not take... Chinese Taipei’s keeper saved the fourth shot, snatching the opening right back for the team to score the fifth and game-winning penalty. The thing about penalties in high-stakes competitions is that they aren’t as straightforward a shot as they seem. It’s dramatic, thrilling, and absolutely nerve-wracking. With the players drained physically and mentally, misplaced strikes and weak, easily savable shots are common, and just one moment of icy courage can turn the tide. That moment materialized in the form of PWNFT goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who has been phenomenal the entire tournament, thwarting Chinese Taipei’s fifth shot and keeping her team’s hopes for a World Cup berth alive. As sizzling tension hung in the air in Pune, McDaniel took matters into her own hands—or, feet, rather—positioning 12 yards from goal to coolly send the Philippines’ fifth penalty to the back of the net. (And if goalkeepers taking penalties sounds familiar, you only have to look towards Palacios in the UAAP S79 finals.) Whether that boosted her own confidence or shattered the opponents’ mental fortitude, it felt like hope had been reignited in Philippine territory. The Filipino football community held their breaths, daring to believe as McDaniel lunged for a second straight save and Bolden fired the shot, straight and true.

With the World Cup dream finally—finally—a reality, coalescing emotions of delight, astonishment, and relief came pouring out. Gratification had come off long nights and early mornings where the team put their heads down and put one step forward, and again and again, even when their knees felt like buckling. Who dared say that the Philippines had set its sights too high? From an outside perspective, it can be easy to write off the PWNFT’s historic showing, chalking it to luck after edging Thailand from their keeper’s fault, having a good quarterfinal draw, and capitalizing on the scramble in front of goal to grab the team’s opener against Chinese Taipei. Others might discredit local talents, highlighting how the heroics that night came from players who grew up and trained in overseas footballing ecosystems. (That doesn’t make them any less Filipino.) But the historic feat wasn’t a triumph for this roster alone. Whether you played football for fun or just enjoyed watching the sport, whether you turned down a shot at going pro to focus on school or had your career cut short by a devastating injury, whether you made one cap off the bench for the national team or had 50 appearances bannering the Philippine flag—the surreal feeling and unbridled elation resonates. Because what the team has achieved today has been built on the dedication of the players fighting for a taste of recognition, a sliver of opportunity, uplifting the stories and revitalizing dreams that had long been shattered; and what the team has achieved today will be the wind beneath the wings of future rosters to dream bigger, aim higher, go farther. Now the goalpost has moved again. The PWNFT has every right to fight for something more; with tournament favorites Australia out of the competition early, the semis against South Korea may just be another upset in the making, or at least serve as a good litmus test to see how the squad faces up to another top contender. The World Cup, meanwhile, awaits to see the Philippines represent not only itself, but the Asian and Southeast Asian contingent. It isn’t the end of a journey but the turning of a new leaf, beckoning for this team—and for future players who might join them—to envision a future where more milestones in Philippine women’s football are created not out of sheer force of will, but because the empowering elements are there to realize success. It’s high time we as a country get behind these girls who have left it all on the pitch time and again.