AUCKLAND — Angie Beard promises to return to action for the Philippine Women’s National Football Team in its future matches, now that its 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign has ended at the Eden Park Stadium here.
Beard’s recruitment into the Filipinas’ fold came amidst much fanfare, especially since she had already represented Australia in three international friendlies. She proved to be a key cog in Alen Stajcic’s side in its matches against Switzerland, host nation New Zealand, and Norway, as she started all matches as a center-back.
Now that the tournament is over for the Philippines, she is already looking ahead to future campaigns down the line, especially with the Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers to come in the next few months.
“You can expect me to be here for the rest of my life, honestly.
“I’ve made the change, I’ve put in the work. It took me a long time to get here, and now that I’m here, it’s not a one-stop shop. I’m here for the long run,” said the Western United standout.
Beard and the rest of the Filipinas were hoping to make it to the last 16 of the tournament. They aimed to upset Norway, which is ranked 12th in the world, to book an outright ticket to the knockouts.
However, the Norwegians’ class was just too much. Sophia Roman Haug scored a hat trick while Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten added a goal each. Filipinas defender Alicia Barker also scored an own goal, while substitute defender Sofia Harrison was dismissed for a bad tackle.
To be a top team, you need to beat a top team on the world stage, and it just was not the Filipinas’ night to accomplish such a feat.
“Yeah, they obviously did their homework, and they gave us some problems. I think going down a player against any team is hard, and especially against one of the top teams in the world is really tough,” said Beard.
“I think that was a big challenge for us, and I think the way that we tried to hold it together and just try to limit their options is a testament to our hard work and dedication, but yeah, it’s always going to be tough.“
All in all, debuting for the Filipinas in the World Cup, of all tournaments, was an unforgettable experience for Beard. It is not every day when an athlete gets to compete at such a prestigious competition.
For her, this is merely the start of her journey as a Filipina. Now that she has promised to come back for future campaigns, she states that this World Cup experience will make the national team stronger against future opponents.
“Yeah, I think for me, I kind of came into this journey a little late. These girls have been working since before the Asian Cup, since before the SEA Games, since before they’ve qualified,” said the former Melbourne Victory player.
“So I think it’s a massive journey and to just see what we can come and produce and perform and compete with a lot of these teams, I think it’s incredible, and it’s just the start,” she continued.
“All of these girls haven’t played in a crowd like this, in stadiums like this, against players who play for these incredible clubs and nations. So I think it’s a really good experience for us.”
