By: Icko De Guzman
Two years ago in Wellington, New Zealand, Jaclyn Sawicki was part of a Philippine squad that made history at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, securing the nation’s first-ever win thanks to Sarina Bolden’s header against the co-hosts.
Fast forward to November 24, 2025, at the PhilSports Arena, Sawicki once again found herself at the center of a historic moment.
This time, Inday Tolentin and Cathrine Graversen etched their names in history by scoring the Philippines’ first two goals in the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.
But unlike that night in New Zealand, the ending in Pasig was heartbreaking. The Philippine Women’s National Futsal Team bowed out of the tournament after surrendering three unanswered goals in a tough 2–3 loss to Morocco.
Speaking after the match, Sawicki admitted the emotions were overwhelming despite the result.
“It’s hard to describe unless you’re on the court with the girls,” shared Sawicki. “It’s a euphoric feeling when you do it as a collective. It’s something Inday (Tolentin) is gonna remember forever, something Cath (Graversen) is gonna remember forever as well.
“I’m proud of the girls for doing that, and we’re just gonna keep going and move on to the next one.”
The Filipinas got off to a dream start, with Tolentin and Graversen finding the net inside the first seven minutes. But Morocco rallied to seize the lead before halftime and held firm for the remainder of the match.
“Sometimes at that point in the game, you either take control or you lose a bit of it,” Sawicki added. “It started to get a little chaotic, and we just kind of lost our overall control. Morocco came at us at the end of the first half, and the ball didn’t quite bounce our way.
“We did fight and we always fight to the end but disappointing to not get the result.”
With the Philippines set to face Argentina in their final group match on Thursday, Sawicki hopes the Filipina5 can leave the pitch with pride for one last time on home soil.
“We’re at a World Cup, and we’re hosting, so we’ve got the crowd on our side,” concluded Sawicki.
“It’s been the most electric atmosphere. We can’t take these moments for granted. Who knows when we’ll be at a World Cup again? The girls are just gonna keep their heads up and be resilient, as we always are. Para sa Bayan.”
#WATCH: IT’S QUITE A EUPHORIC FEELING
Filipina5 midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki lauds her team’s resilience, which resulted in the country’s first-ever goals in the FIFA #FutsalWWC 🇵🇭⚽#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/kYSAjPvMPr
📹 @ickodeg /Tiebreaker Times#FutsalWWC pic.twitter.com/4UMY7iGHiq
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) November 25, 2025
