The Philippine U14 Girls Team placed 2nd in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U14 Girls Regional Championships for Southeast Asia after finishing the finals match against Thailand 1-2 on June 15, 2014 at the Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
The Thais claimed their victory early in the first half with goals on the 11th and 20th minutes, giving the Philippine squad a fast-paced and physical game. Determined for a comeback, the young Filipinas were able to redeem themselves with a goal from Arantxa Mari Trebol scored on the 51st minute. Looking for an equalizer by creating more scoring opportunities, they were unfortunately denied by the Thais up to stoppage time.
Despite this, the Philippines was recognized as the most improved team of the tournament, garnering the Fair Play Award for showing greatest respect for the game, and the Most Valuable Player Award which was given to Joyce Demacio who exhibited excellent attacking and defending skills throughout the tournament.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) congratulated the team for bringing honors to the country with their unprecedented achievement. “Congratulations to the team for their excellent performance. Although we didn’t win the finals, we are still proud of their achievement. This is their best finish thus far,” said PFF President Mariano Araneta. “They made a fantastic run in the tournament, we are proud of them, and they are our champions,” said PFF General Secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes.
The 18-girl team was managed by Head Coach Let Dimzon together with Assistant Coach Joyce Landagan, Goalkeeper Coach Melissa Marquez and Physiotherapist Katherine Soriano. The full team roster can be found here: http://the-pff.org/website/1214-2/.
