ALTHOUGH one of the longer-staying members of the national women’s football team, Filipinas striker Chandler McDaniel had to take a back seat to celebrated teammates such as Sarina Bolden and Katrina Guillou in their previous international forays.
Hobbled by an injury that sidelined her in the Filipinas’ FIFA Women’s World Cup debut two years ago, McDaniel was back in the spotlight once again last Saturday at the close of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group G qualifier at the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The comely forward scored the winning goal in a close 1-0 decision over feisty and upset-conscious Hong Kong, earning the Nationals a ticket back to the women’s continental football showcase in Australia next year.
She took a feed at center from Alexa Pino and eluded four Hong Kong defenders to coolly boot in a 30-foot roller in the fourth minute past HK goalie Leung Wai Nga – a scoreline that held on till the end of the tense match.
The Filipinas completed a three-game sweep, topping Group G with nine points in the qualifying tournament of the Women’s Asian Cup, sustaining their drive to make it back to the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil in 2027.
It was also a major milestone for Australian tactician Mark Torcaso, who took over the helm from compatriot Alen Stajcic after the Philippines’ World Cup debut in New Zealand in 2023.
“The team had a goal and that was to win all three games and do the best we absolutely could. I think that’s exactly what our team did. You know three games in six days is always hard but we showed a lot of heart,” said Chandler, 27, beaming, at the post-match press conference.
“We came out and we showed that we deserve to go back to the (World Cup) qualifiers again,” added the younger sibling of Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who kept her third straight clean sheet, after clinching the match’s top honors.
The striker also credited the support of the Filipino fans who went out of their way to watch the game, saying: “Always, the fans are so supportive. We love seeing all of our Filipinos out to support us.
“We are just so happy that we were able to give them the three wins and give them the result that they deserve.”
Torcaso’s charges, however, will only have a short time celebrating their accomplishment since they will have to prepare their title-retention bid in the MSIG Serenity Cup, the AFF Women’s Football Championship, set Aug. 6 to 19 in Vietnam.
The Filipinas seek to retain the country’s only major football crown they won in 2022 by beating four-time champion Thailand 4-0 in the championship match at the packed Rizal Memorial Stadium.
