“To our PWNT players, we thank you for stepping up to the challenge and playing hard until the end. You have made the country proud. We are looking forward to the next time you represent the country.”- PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team concluded their 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Myanmar in Haiphong, Vietnam.
Led by core veteran players, top local talents, and young emerging players, the Filipinas squad showed grit and determination against the group’s top contender.
“I’m extremely proud of every one of our players. We gave a number of debuts to some of our young players in our national teams and youth teams and so I’m extremely proud of every one of those girls and I know that our country will be very proud of them,” said Filipinas head coach Mark Torcaso.
Nina Mathelus, a prolific scorer for the U-17 team, netted her first-ever senior international goal in the 71st minute, equalizing from a precise cross by Wyrzynski.
“We saw Nina Mathelus come on and did a really good job still needs to learn and get some understanding of her position but she scored a goal. We saw Tea Pidding in the last game as a 16-year-old and we just want to have as many players available for the Asian Cup.,” Torcaso said.
In her debut tournament, Adelaide Wyrzynski, a former member of Australia’s U-18 squad now representing her mother’s home country, made a significant impact with one goal and one assist. She nearly secured a late victory for the Filipinas but narrowly missed the final chance to score.
Defensively, left back Azumi Oka played all 270 minutes of the three group stage matches, just like team captain Hali Long. Oka’s game-saving block against a solo run by Yoon Wadi Hlaing in stoppage time denied Myanmar the win. Midfielders like 18-year-old Pasion and Isabella Alamo also showcased their talent throughout the match.
On the backline, Team Captain and veteran Hali Long anchored the defense and created opportunities for the team while blocking early shots from the opposition. Goalkeeper McDaniel made several crucial saves in both halves. On the attack, Chandler McDaniel and Dionesa “Inday” Tolentin each managed to get shots on goal.
“We saw some really nice things in this window and we’re really happy, everyone just keeps getting better and these young girls just keep getting better. There’s definitely a lot of positives and definitely a lot of really good perspective and headaches for us to pick a really good team for the Asian Cup,” Torcaso concluded.
With this result, the Filipinas finished their Group B campaign with four points and a +6 goal difference. The team will now look to build on this performance as they prepare for their next major tournament, the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.
