WELLINGTON — Olivia McDaniel once again demonstrated why she has been one of the pillars of the Philippine Women’s National Football Team’s rise to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the Wellington Regional Stadium here.
Amidst the pressure of protecting the Filipinas’ hard-earned lead from Sarina Bolden’s 24th-minute header, McDaniel remained composed throughout the final stretch of the match as host nation New Zealand sought an equalizer in front of 32,357 fans inside the stadium.
Her performance was exemplified in the 90+3 minute when she denied Football Ferns midfielder Grace Jale’s attempt with a fine save. If she had conceded that goal, then the Filipinas’ hopes of qualifying out of Group A would have significantly diminished.
“It feels amazing,” said the 25-year-old stopper. “Getting our first win in our debut in the World Cup, we couldn’t ask for more. Everyone worked their butts off. We put our heads down, we fought, and we worked, and we got what we wanted out of it, so it feels amazing.
“We knew that New Zealand would come in with such a high press, so much momentum from their win against Norway, so we had to make sure we cut through that. Our early goal, Sarina’s (Bolden) header, it was amazing.”
Alen Stajcic’s side knew that it would need to be strong defensively throughout the contest if it wanted to get something out of it. The Australian mentor started five defenders — Angela Beard, Sofia Harrison, Jessika Cowart, captain Hali Long, and Alicia Barker — with Cowart advancing into central midfield.
To help protect the lead late in the match, defender Dominique Randle was brought on for attacking midfielder Quinley Quezada. Defense is the name of the game in crunch time, and the Filipinas eventually held on for all three points.
“Our defense had their work cut out for them tonight. All of us, we put our heads down, we stuck together, we kept the ball out, and you know I’m so grateful for them, you know. We worked our asses off,” said McDaniel.
“We’ve been together for a while now. We had some new faces come in and go, but we had the goal in mind. I was so happy that everyone worked as much as they could so I’m so grateful for our backline; it was so incredible.”
For her exploits, McDaniel was given the Player of the Match award when the game ended. She became a target during the final stretch of the contest as the home supporters became frustrated with how she carefully managed the time for the Filipinas.
Just as when she first came into national consciousness during the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, though, she became a better player once the pressure got higher. This time around, she was further encouraged by the Filipino fans inside the stadium who made their way to cheer for her and her teammates.
“Absolutely, (the award is) for the country. It’s for the entire team. Being debutants in the World Cup, it can’t be just for yourself, it’s for everybody. Every single person helped fight for this, so it’s not just a single person’s win, it’s everybody’s,” she said.
“We knew that it would happen. We are on (their) home soil. We knew there was gonna be huge support, but our kababayans have made it out tonight. They were louder, and that’s all I heard, really. That’s what made me composed, and they were our 12th man tonight, so it’s really helpful.”
McDaniel’s heroics have strengthened the Filipinas’ chances of advancing out of Group A. As things stand, the Philippines is in third place in Group A with three points. The 2022 AFF Women’s Championship winners face Norway, which just came off a 0-0 draw against Switzerland, this Sunday here in Auckland.
The Filipinas will be underdogs once again, and another fine performance from her will be a big boost in upsetting the skidding Norwegians.
“Tonight, we will probably celebrate as a team, look forward, and then we’re gonna have to forget about tonight, tomorrow and work ahead for Norway. They are a tough team, and they’re ranked very, very highly, and we have to make sure to put our best foot forward,” she said.
