The national women’s squad suffered a 1-4 setback to world No. 151 Kenya in the Pink Ladies Week in Turkey last Wednesday.
But Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso doesn’t mind, stressing that they need to experience the loss so they will know the things they need to do moving forward.
“It’s disappointing because the girls responded well all week to learning a new system and style but we didn’t fully execute today. There were individual errors, moments that the players know they can handle better,” Torcaso said.
“We didn’t underestimate them at all. We knew that they were gonna be up against a good side. I just felt like we approached the game with just some player errors during moments that were key and it caused us a few little problems in the end and we’ll be better for that.”
The Kenyans posted an early 2-0 lead following Elizabeth Mutukisna’s goal in the seventh minute and an own goal by Jessika Cowart in the 37th minute.
Filipinas forward Sarina Bolden scored a penalty kick in the 67th minute to pump life into their campaign but goals from Purity Alukwe and Fasila Adhiambo in the 68th and 82nd minutes, respectively, put the game out of reach.
The Filipinas finished their campaign in the Pink Ladies Week with a 1-1 win-loss record following a 3-0 win over Jordan last Saturday.
Torcaso said they will continue to work hard and be more efficient for future tournaments.
“This is going to take more than just four or five days; it’s a process that will take months. We need time with these players to really settle into the new approach,” Torcaso said.
“We will stick with our plan, we’ll stick with what we’re trying to do but we also have to understand that we can’t afford to make those errors in those critical times.”