Filipinas striker Chandler McDaniel starred for her club Stallion Laguna FC, which scored a win in its first AFC Women’s Champions League match.
Chandler McDaniel put on a clinical performance on offense as she scored thrice in a 6-1 drubbing of AFC Women’s Champions League debutant Stallion Laguna FC over Mongolia’s Khovd Western in the preliminary stage at the Thuwunna Stadium in Myanmar late on Monday.
McDaniel got past the keeper in quick succession in the first eleven minutes of the match, earning a brace at the seventh and 11th marks of the fixture — with her second goal coming from a spot kick.
Mia Bookhard piled on Khovd’s woes with a brace for herself as well, netting her goals at the 21st and 45th minute.
By halftime, it was all Stallion, 4-nil.
But the PFF Women’s League representatives were not done yet as Isabella Villafor became the third goal scorer for Stallion in their first-ever match in the Champions League, as she headed in the ball at the back of the net near the hour mark.
Though Lee Nari was able to pull one back for Khovd Western at the 78th minute to save face and deny McDaniel’s sister Olivia the clean sheet, the Fil-Am striker completed her hat trick to bring momentum right back to Stallion at the 89th minute.
“You know, I’m really proud of Stallion tonight. We came out and had a strong start and we showed that, you know, we’re here to compete,” McDaniel said after the match.
“Of course there’s always room to improve so, just looking forward to building on this game and to showing up for the next two games and to showing them what we’re worth and to get two more wins and to make it out of this group stage,” she continued.
Stallion needs to finish as group winner in Group A to seal their place in the group stage, or at least finish as the best runner-up among the five groups.
Stallion faces Guam’s Strykers next on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the same venue.
Strykers is coming off of a blowout loss at the hands of ISPE of hosts Myanmar in their opening game.
In the other group, Filipinas’ captain Hali Long and Thailand’s College of Asian Scholars nabbed a 2-nil win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr. However, Long sustained a cut on her face that she is currently nursing.
Long is on loan from PFF Women’s League champions Kaya FC-Iloilo for the preliminary stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League.