The Philippine Hockey 5s team in both men's and women's divisions suffered tough losses to Thailand and Malaysia in Sunday's action.
It was a tough day in the office for the Philippine Hockey 5s team at the Southeast Asian Games.
Both the men’s and women’s teams suffered blowouts at the hands of Thailand on Sunday, with the men’s squad taking an 11-0 loss while the women’s team suffered a 9-0 beatdown.
The lopsided losses highlighted the disparity between the two countries in terms of the sport.
“Sila yung ka-training namin, so as expected ganyan talaga yung difference ng performance. And this is our first time to participate sa Hockey 5 category kasi, so there’s a huge difference in skill but we were able to minimize the expected damage for us,” said men’s coach Nelvin Castor.
“For now, we cannot say kung ano yung magiging result. But as always bibigay naman namin yung best namin,” he added.
In their second match of the day, the men’s team also absorbed a tough 18-0 loss to Malaysia.
Despite the results, the Philippine team is grateful for the support and the opportunity to compete.
“Nag-start yung Hockey 5 grassroots natin nung November, so first time na naka-experience kami ng this type of turf,” women’s captain Lorraine Aldana said.
“So far yung experience namin dito, we will keep improving,” she added.
(With reports from Reg Lorque and Bea Gadiano)