For nine days, 20 young Filipinas based both in the Philippines and abroad thrilled their compatriots with an electrifying run in the recently concluded AFC U-16 Women’s Championship qualifiers. Out of four matches, the Philippines won three games (the first two over India and Northern Mariana Islands, the last one over Malaysia) and conceded one (against tough opponents Korea Republic).
The loss against the team from South Korea was their third fixture, and though the Filipinas were well-prepared for it and went into the game confident, they were still outmatched by the stronger and more experienced East Asian side. In the game, the Koreans dictated play with their crisp passing and crippling defense, most of the time winning back balls from midfield that switched quickly to an assault down the wings. The Korean aggression disrupted any momentum the Filipinas would build up, and it gave them a hard time when getting into good scoring positions. In the end, the Filipinas were overwhelmed by 7 unanswered goals.
The defeat to Korea Republic was devastating for the team as it shattered all hope for qualification to the next round. As previously mentioned, only one team from the group gets to progress which means any misstep is very costly. Nonetheless, the heartbroken Pinays pulled it together for one last go against Malaysia.
The Filipinas bounced back in style, netting five goals and a third clean sheet over their ASEAN rivals. Denice May Graellos opened the scoring seven minutes in, when she volleyed home a free kick from the back by her twin sister, Danezza April. The Pinays had many other opportunities for the rest of the first half but could not finish them. Scoring finally resumed in the second half, six minutes after restart, as the team’s captain Tejanee Isulat poached an errant back pass and whipped it in for the team’s second goal of the day. A similar scenario played out seven minutes later, when Caitlin Levasseur snuck on the last defender’s weak touch to deliver a third Philippine goal. Seven more minutes after that, Isabella Mahoney went on a little solo run to quadruple the lead. With around twelve minutes to go, Graellos (May) capped off the 5-to-nothing win with a long-range strike, earning a brace in the process and the eventual Player of the Match honors.
By most standards, a 3-1 result is already an outstanding achievement, and Marnelli “Let” Dimzon’s Pilipinas U-16 may have even surpassed expectations, especially when the manner in which they won (big leads punctuated by shutouts) and the circumstances of their only loss (a powerhouse such as Korea which punished other teams in the group with double digit blowouts) are factored in. Thus, the Philippines finish their campaign with 9 points, second place behind undefeated Korea Republic’s 12. This, however, would not be enough to see the Pinays through to the next round, as only one team is given a berth in each group of the qualifiers. So it will be Korea Republic joining current title holders DPR Korea, hosts Thailand, Japan, China, Laos, Bangladesh and Australia for the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship final round next year.
Head coach Dimzon is still very optimistic and grateful for the outcome. “It was a wonderful performance [which, the girls] have shown from [training] camp to our trip to China,” she reflected. “Although we didn’t qualify to the next stage we are proud that we made it far, [and] to have a 3-1 record in this tournament is a huge success.” She lamented, however, that a month long preparation on a very tight budget is not enough, but praised her charges for their high spirits and hard work. Working together like a family made the challenges a lot easier to overcome, and turned an impossible task into a doable one, whether it was pulling off double digit wins or finishing second in the group stage qualifiers — a first in Philippine U-16 history.
“Our girls played well, tough, smart and [their morale was high],” she added, commending the players’ dedication, commitment, passion, and teamwork. She also revealed how she has been very impressed with their individual skills and how it fit to her system well. “These players possess all the talents, they easily [adapted to] the system, [had] chemistry with each other [and treated] themselves like sisters and family,” she said, while being thankful to the people responsible for turning the players into who they are now. She also thanked Filipinos for all the support they have shown for the girls and the team. When asked if she would coach the same group of girls again in the future, Dimzon said “I [would] love to. I enjoyed working with this group.”
