FILIPINAS coach Mark Torcaso pledged that his charges would come out with an attractive and attacking style of play in the Pink Ladies Week tournament in Antalya, Turkey.
After six months out of action and with a fine blend of new and old faces, the Filipinas did just that with a dominant 3-0 win over Jordan in their opening match last Saturday night in the six-nation competition organized by FIFA-licensed organizer McSPORT.
Ace striker Sarina Bolden scored a brace, heading the opening goal from a nifty right cross from debuting defender Janae DeFazio and converting a penalty kick in the 68th while winger Katrina Guillou added the third goal on a penalty 11 minutes later.
Sharing the limelight was goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who kept a clean sheet in keeping the opposition at bay, including smothering a penalty kick by Jordan in the 65th minute in the competition that also includes Kenya, Russia, Chinese-Taipei and Haiti.
In the post-match interview, Torcaso was pleased by the outcome of the game after his squad’s long layoff, noting that “what was important was we had to win since we hadn’t played in six months. We had a good opponent and I am just glad for the girls.
“Obviously, this is going to take a little bit of time with regard to the playing style and how we want to go about it. We saw some really good signs and we can just get better and better with every game.”
Something of a drillmaster like his predecessor and compatriot Alen Stajcic, the Australian tactician said they wanted “just to have a winning mentality and I am proud of how we did today. We can’t be complacent but just keep on working hard.”
A mainstay of the Southern California Elite Football Club playing in the United Premier Soccer League in the US, DeFazio was just as happy with her maiden appearance for the Filipinas.
“They (the Filipinas) are just a really motivated group, and we’ve been working hard leading into this event. From whistle, we implemented what we’ve been working on, and in the first minute it worked,” DeFazio, 23, said.
“So that was just a really rewarding feeling. And especially representing the Philippines, it feels great,” she added.
The Philippines will gun for its second straight win when it battles Kenya next on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (9 p.m. in Manila).
