AUCKLAND. – Having savored her first FIFA Women’s World Cup to the hilt, Filipinas goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel vowed that it won’t be a one-and-done deal for her and the rest of her teammates.
“We’re definitely going to try to get back here in the next four years. This is not the end for the Filipinas. We have a lot more in us,” stressed McDaniel, 25, after they exited the premier women’s football festival with a 0-6 loss to Norway at the Eden Park here Sunday.
On a high after their stunning 1-0 win over the Ferns in Wellington last week, the Filipinas were humbled by the rampaging Grasshoppers, with AS Roma striker Sophie Roman Haug completing a hat-trick in the lopsided win.
“We were definitely outclassed. They were such an amazing team. They moved the ball a lot faster and we were not just ready for that,” added the goalie, whose net-minding heroics prevented the former World Cup champions from coming up with a double-digit win.
“So much world-class girls coming at us like Caroline Graham Hansen (who plays for Barcelona). They are just amazing athletes and you have to give it to them. They put some balls at the back of the net. But that’s okay, we learn from it,” she said.
Nonetheless, McDaniel was proud and overjoyed at how she and her teammates performed in their World Cup debut.
“Our first three points as a debutant in the World Cup (in a 1-0 upset of New Zealand). We got a goal and we can’t really ask for more,” said the lively booter, who also garnered Player of the Match honors in keeping a clean sheet against the hosts.
Without a doubt, she added, their stint was a learning experience they all could benefit from.
“We learned to play in such tightness of the sport, all we can do is learn from it, grow and keep on moving forward,” said McDaniel, who once again praised the multitude of fans who came to Eden Park to cheer them on.
“Our hats off to our kababayans here. They just outdid it. They outdid everyone. And we could not be prouder and happy to have them here. It was amazing, once again they were our 12th man out there,” she said, beaming.
With their World Cup stint over, she hoped their experience would inspire “all of the little boys and girls that it (the World Cup) isn’t just a dream but can be a reality. For all the Filipinas who were before us and then after us, we just want to grow and grow and grow.”
