With three games left in the elimination round, many members of the Philippine team needs to contribute and share in the workload of their campaign in the ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championships 2022.
Coach Allen Stajcic said this after Team Philippines came up with a 7-0 rout of Singapore Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.
“Everyone has to contribute. We are a big squad. It is important that everyone from this squad contribute to this tournament,” remarked Stajcic.
The Philippines, which is currently ranked no. 53rd in the world, will go for their third straight triumph when they play Malaysia on Friday at 7 p.m.
Thailand clashes with Singapore over in Biñan, Laguna. The Thais, who have a 1-1-0 win-draw-loss card, will try to maintain their hold on second spot.
Stajcic noted that many new players in the squad were able to show their capabilities during their encounter with Singapore.
This included defender Maya Alcantara, a St. Mary’s College of California standout, who made her debut at central defense and played alongside Halli Long.
Fil-Norwegian Sara Eggesvik also made a good start in the left wing and with a goal in the 46th minute.
Fil-Am Kaya Hawkinson, who is from Cal State-Fullerton, made a good adjustment at central midfield and capped off her effort with a goal in the 55th minute.
“I am pleased that we can rotate a lot of new players, and we will continue to do that,” added Stajcic.
The newbies were able to score with skipper Tahnai Annis creating opportunities with her all-around presence.
Annis pushed teammates to goals and their Singaporean rivals into crucial errors all evening.
“Maximizing the bench shows the discipline within the team, shows the unity, shows the alignment we have in the group. Regardless of who comes on, we will maximize them well. It is important that everyone contributes. We have a big squad,” Stajcic said.
“Obviously it is important to be at the top of the table and that’s where everyone one to be. We are pleased to be here right now, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” added Stajcic.
Midfielder Jessica Miclat, who was pivotal in controlling the ball for the Filipinas that resulted in several scoring opportunities, also underscored that it was “a great team performance and we were able to do what we were not able to do (in the game against Australia).
“It’s a good thing to build on in the next three games.”
She added that the result was a great confidence booster before the match against the Malaysians, whom they beat 3-0 in the 2019 edition of the tournament held in Chonburi, Thailand.
“I think it shows we are capable of putting goals at the back of the net. If we do the right things, it results in goals. But we won’t be complacent although we won 7-0 because we still have lots of matches ahead,” Miclat said.
“We will just take this win and put it in the back of our minds, move on to the next game and get ready for that one.”
