Sarina Bolden could not stop scoring for the Philippine Women’s National Football Team.
Bolden netted a brace as the Filipinas comfortably moved past Chinese Taipei 4-1 in the second round of the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Perth, Australia.
The former Western Sydney Wanderers standout scored the Filipinas’ equalizer in the 54th minute from the penalty spot after her teammate Meryll Serrano was brought down in the Chinese Taipei box a minute earlier.
The 27-year-old forward then scored her second goal in the 82nd minute to seal the win for the Filipinas. She now has 28 goals in 44 appearances for the country.
The country’s top international goalscorer was not the only one who got on the scoresheet today.
Guillou gave the Filipinas their first taste of the lead in the 60th minute by eluding the opposition defenders and finishing a nice pass from skipper Tahnai Annis.
Substitute forward Chandler McDaniel completed the rout in the 89th minute with an assist from defender Angela Beard.
It was a come-from-behind victory for the Filipinas as they missed several chances in the first half and found themselves a goal behind minutes after the halftime break.
Bolden, Hali Long, and Dominique Randle all squandered opportunities to score in the opening 45 minutes, while Hsu Yi-Yun broke the deadlock in the 47th minute.
Ultimately, those moments all proved inconsequential thanks to the Filipinas’ surge in the second half.
“It was a pretty complete performance in the end,” said coach Mark Torcaso. “I know that’s been a country that we’ve struggled to beat or beat convincingly in the past. It was really good to get that result.”
The Philippines earned three points in Group A with a goal difference of plus-3. The other teams in the group, Australia and Iran, will face off later tonight.
Both teams will return to action this Sunday at Optus Stadium. The Philippines will take on the host nation, Australia, at 3:10 p.m., while Chinese Taipei will face Iran afterward at 6:10 p.m.
Chinese Taipei XI: Lin Chiung-Ying ©, Zhuo Li-Ping, Hsu Yi-Yun, Su Yu-Hsuan, Wu Kai Ching, Ting Chia-Ying, Lan Yu-Chieh, Ting Chi, Cheng Ssu-Yu (GK), Lin Hsin-Hui, Cheng Ying-Hui.
Philippines XI: McDaniel (GK), Randle, Cowart, Long, Annis ©, Bolden, Eggesvik, Bonta, Beard, Serrano, Guillou.
