By: Icko de Guzman
Two of the Filipinas’ greatest moments have been defined by penalty shootouts — and on both occasions, Olivia McDaniel stood tall between the posts.
In 2022, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pune, India, McDaniel delivered when it mattered most.
She made two crucial saves, denying Su Hsin-yun and Zhuo Li-Ping, before Sarina Bolden calmly converted the winning kick, sending the Philippines to the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
Three years later, history repeated itself, this time on an even bigger stage.
In the shootout that decided the gold medal match of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Chonburi, Thailand, McDaniel once again rose to the occasion. After Jaclyn Sawicki gave the Philippines a 6–5 edge in sudden death, the Filipinas’ goalkeeper correctly read Than Tri Thu’s attempt.
In one motion, she made a strong two-handed save to secure the country’s first-ever SEA Games gold medal.
In that moment, McDaniel knew she would make the save — and she delivered one worthy of gold.
“Sometimes you get a bit frustrated in penalty shootouts because if you go the wrong way or guess wrong, you can get down on yourself,” McDaniel said.
“But every single time I stepped back in, I told myself I was going to save one. Whether it was the first kick or the last, I knew I’d get one, and luckily, I got the winning save.”
Having been at the heart of two dramatic shootout victories, the Stallion Laguna goalkeeper savored the moment she helped deliver for the country.
“I knew we all had a part to play, and at the end of the day, the job had to be done,” McDaniel added. “We rallied behind each other, and we knew there was nothing else but gold. That was our mindset throughout the entire game.”
The Filipinas’ SEA Games journey was nothing short of remarkable.
After opening their campaign with a 2–1 loss to Myanmar, the Philippines stunned Vietnam and routed Malaysia to advance to the semifinals. There, they battled hosts Thailand for 120 grueling minutes before prevailing in the penalty shootout, 4-2.
In the final, the Filipinas endured yet another extra-time contest and shootout, once again overcoming Vietnam to finally claim the gold.
According to McDaniel, the key to their triumph was the team’s mentality and resilience, even in the toughest moments.
“It’s a really hard part of the game,” McDaniel said. “Some of us played five full 90-minute matches, plus two extra times and penalty shootouts. There were definitely heavy legs, but you could see it — every team we faced was on the ground. None of us sat down. None of us were tired. None of us were cramping.
“We had that mentality to keep pushing forward, to keep going. That’s what brought us this gold medal—never stopping, never quitting.”
The Philippines’ SEA Games gold further cemented the Filipinas’ rise in women’s football, following their AFF Women’s Championship title in 2022 and their historic first win at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. For McDaniel and the rest of the golden generation, the belief continues to grow.
“Anytime we can put the Philippines on a pedestal and make it the talking point, make sure people are talking about how strong we are, that’s the most important thing,” McDaniel expressed.
“I’m so proud of this team. I’m so proud to be Filipino and to play for this country. People are always doubting us, saying we don’t belong, but we do. We belong at the top, and we’re going to keep proving it.”
