After a 3-nil victory over Jordan, the Philippine Women's National Team take on Kenya to close out their October international window.
The Filipinas are avoiding complacency as they play their final match of Pink Ladies Week in Turkiye against Kenya on Wednesday night (PH time) for a perfect slate in the tournament.
According to the website, the McSport Pink Ladies Week aims to "bring together national women’s football A-teams in a centralized venue, providing optimal conditions for training, competition, and preparation for future events," with the first edition of the initiative being held in Antalya, Turkiye from October 26-30.
Six national teams compete in the said tournament, namely Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Haiti, Chinese Taipei, and Jordan.
Though coming off of a dominant 3-nil win over Jordan last weekend, Filipinas keeper Olivia McDaniel said that they’re hardly letting up in their preparations for the World No. 151 team.
“Yeah, I mean, Kenya, they're not someone to be looked down upon. I mean, they've had some good games. And it's our first African opponent, I think, that we're going to be up against.” McDaniel said.
“So it's going to be definitely a challenge. And I think we're not going to take it lightly at all. Even though we're coming off a high with our 3-0 win, I think we're still going to have to put our heads down and together and make sure we get our three points tomorrow.”
McDaniel herself was pivotal in their victory over Jordan where she not only achieved her 13th clean sheet in her career with the national team, but she also stopped a penalty that would’ve leveled the match at 1-1.
[RELATED:
Sarina Bolden brace powers Filipinas past Jordan in Pink Ladies Week]
Personally, the Fil-Am keeper said that it felt nice to be able to step up for the team like that — even if she didn’t enjoy having to go one-on-one with strikers too much for a spot kick.
“[There’s] probably more than I've liked to have stopped.” quipped McDaniel.
“But I don't know. I think at the end of the day, it's just, you know, you kind of have to go with your gut. I mean, you can go through the science of it and, you know, learn tricks and tips along the way… I just went with my gut yesterday or a couple of days ago and it kind of worked out. So it was good.” she continued.
More than ending their October FIFA international window with a win, the Filipinas are also looking to continue integrating their new system, one that employs more aggressiveness on the attack.
While it has come with some adjustments for McDaniel herself, she’s confident that they’re moving in the right direction with the new game plan.
“I think we just need to get used to the system and working together and, you know, the shifting of the ball and how that works with three-back and working with our midfield. So, yeah, it's been good.” she said.
McDaniel and the Filipinas will kickoff against Kenya at 9 pm Wednesday night, Manila time.
"Pink Ladies Week" is an exciting new initiative designed to bring together national women’s football A-teams in a centralized venue, providing optimal conditions for training, competition, and preparation for future events.