Sarina Bolden saved the Philippine Women’s National Football Team’s hopes for a gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games just when early elimination seemed imminent.
Bolden now has 21 goals in 34 appearances for the Filipinas.
She scored her latest entry in the 90+6 minute to earn the Philippines a vital 1-0 win over Malaysia last Saturday. Her intervention allowed the Filipinas to earn three points and rise to second place in Group A, thanks to a superior goal difference over Myanmar.
“I was telling myself I need to do anything I can to score this with everything but my hands. I didn’t care what part of my body. It’s going in, it’s going in,” said the 26-year-old forward.
“So mentally, I was telling myself to get myself in a good position and luckily it was a beautiful cross… I had to take that ball down after multiple headers that were going up. I just tried to head that down.”
This is not the first time Bolden has come in clutch for the Filipinas. She etched her name in the history of Philippine football by converting the winning penalty against Chinese Taipei, which booked a 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup ticket for the country.
She scored a late equalizer against Myanmar in the 31st SEA Games which allowed the Filipinas to earn a bronze medal. She also scored goals against Vietnam and Thailand in last year’s 2022 AFF Women’s Championship to annex the trophy on home soil.
(C) PWNT
“Just resiliency. Never give up. That’s just always been my mentality from day one. The game isn’t over until the ref blows that final whistle,” said the current Western Sydney Wanderers standout.
“No matter what the scoreline is, I’m gonna give my 110 percent no matter what. No matter who we’re playing, lower opposition or higher opposition, it doesn’t matter.”
For the Filipinas to qualify for the semifinals without any complications, they simply need to defeat Vietnam tomorrow. A draw will leave them at the mercy of hoping Malaysia can force Myanmar to drop points, while a loss would eliminate them from the tournament.
Undoubtedly, it will be a tough assignment considering that Vietnam is also heading to the World Cup this July. However, nothing is impossible, as seen with how the Filipinas defeated the Vietnamese last year in the AFF Women’s Championship.
Anything can happen as far as Bolden and the rest of the team are concerned.
“Like what coach said, on any given day, it’s anyone’s game. I can’t give up because the rest of the girls around me aren’t giving up, so I’m going all the way till the end. That’s what drives me,” she said.
“I feel like this team has been through in the past 15 to 16 months so it doesn’t matter what type of game it is. Just that Filipino resiliency.
“We’re never gonna give up. I don’t think anyone was gonna give up till the end. I definitely wasn’t going to.”
