FILIPINAS striker Chandler McDaniel showed fiery form late Monday night, scoring a hat-trick to power Stallion Laguna FC to a lopsided 6-1 win over Mongolian club Khovd Western to kick off its Group A campaign in the AFC Women’s Champions League at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Burma.
McDaniel dismantled her rivals’ defense with her clinical finishing to score in the seventh, 11th (on a penalty kick) and 89th minutes. Teammate Mia Bookhard had a brace (21st and 47th) while Isabella Villaflor headed in the sixth goal in the 59th for a rousing start in the club meet for the charges of coach Ernie Nierras.
Lee Nari saved Khovd Western from a complete shutout, scoring the team’s consolation goal in the 78th minute in the four-squad group where the group topnotcher is assured of advancing to the next round.
Hometown club Institute of Sports and Physical Education whipped Guam squad Strykers 9-0 in the other group match.
“We are proud of the Stallions tonight. We had a strong start and we showed that we really could compete,” said McDaniel, whose elder sister Olivia is the goalie for both the club and the national women’s team.
“Of course, there is room for improvement. So we build on this game and show up again for the next games to show them our worth. We want to get two more wins to make it out of this group stage,” she added.
There was little to complain about the performance of the reigning Philippine Women’s League champions against their overmatched opponents.
McDaniel gave them the perfect start, catching Khovd Wester goalkeeper Erdenebileg Tsendjavev off guard in the seventh minute, then added her second goal in the 11th, converting a penalty kick that rolled into the bottom right corner of the net.
Bookhard, who was taken down inside the penalty area from behind by a Mongolian defender that led to a penalty kick, joined the scoring fray on a breakaway, slotting in Stallion Laguna’s third goal 10 minutes later.
She scored her second goal two minutes into injury time, giving her team a daunting 5-0 halftime lead.
Villaflor scored her team’s final goal with a point-blank header during a goalmouth scramble to cap the icing on the cake.
Stallion Laguna FC eyes its second straight win tomorrow against Strykers of Guam at the same arena.
