Filipinas remain upbeat despite loss

The Philippines stays optimistic despite absorbing a 0-1 loss to Australia in the ASEAN Women’s Championship last Sunday at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho, Vietnam.

Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso said they will try to get some positives from the loss as they remain focused on making it to the semifinal of the prestigious regional tournament.

Alana Jancevski shook off Azumi Oka’s defense and blasted a left-foot strike at the bottom right corner in the first minute of added time before the whistle blew for halftime and won the game for the Matildas.

Torcaso also said having youngsters Tea Pidding and Nina Mathelus compete against the Matildas will help the defending champions in the long run.

“No coach is happy when you lose a game but we’re extremely proud of the players today. We had a couple of 16 and 17-year-olds who came on against Australia,” Torcaso said.

“I wouldn't say it's a bad result. I would say that it's something that we want to work on and obviously be better in the next game to get the win.”

"As defending champions, there's pressure. But I believe that our players took on some good pressure today, and that's going to help them grow."

The Filipinas currently have a 1-0-1 win-draw-loss record with a +6 goal difference in Group B.

A win over Myanmar on Wednesday at the Lach Tray Stadium in Haiphong will give the Philippines a spot in the knockout stages.

Torcaso said the loss against the Matildas motivated the girls going into the match against the Burmese.

“I truly believe that we can go into the next game with a very, very positive step, that we can get a win that can get us out of the group and help us qualify for the semifinals,” Torcaso said.