The Filipinas add a gold medal to their historic era, but the SEA Games 2025 triumph is also a new starting line of the Philippine Women’s National Football Team now filled with future stars that are already shining today.
Filipinas know their magic.
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team created history anew after a tense finale against Vietnam that went all the way to penalties in Chonburi, copping the country’s the first-ever SEA Games gold medal.
[RELATED: Filipinas stun four-peat champion Vietnam for historic SEA Games gold in women's football]
It was a whirlwind of a match, with initial controversy from Vietnam’s a disallowed goal, missed opportunities for both sides, and the drama of a penalty shootout that went to sudden death.
In my view, the disallowed goal was wrongly taken away from Vietnam. But in the absence of any sort of video review, we play through the circumstances.
The Filipinas were consistent in showing they are very much a second half team. They grew into the match and had their own opportunities to take the lead themselves.
Beyond the details of what happened in the Finals — the path to gold and the protagonists who rose up to the challenge is what should excite Filipino sports fans the most.
The Philippines went through two penalty shootouts, scored a 94th minute winner to stay in contention for the knockout stages, and scored six goals in a match they needed to rack up the score to overcome goal difference.
[RELATED: With historic SEA Games football gold, Hali Long slays ghost of FIFA World Cup qualifiers]
And they did that with an attacking unit led by 18-year-old Alexa Pino, 21-year-old Mallie Ramirez, and 20-year-old Jael Guy.
In fact, seven of the nine Filipinas goals were scored by players under the age of 22.
19-year old Bella Pasion also had a shining moment that requires more recognition, with her goal-saving clearance against Vietnam in the group stage kept the game scoreless at that point.
The Philippines pulled through to beat Vietnam that first time, a win that saved the Filipinas from elimination.
[RELATED: SEA Games: Jaclyn Sawicki bucks fatigue to score gold-clinching PK for Filipinas]
This brings up the old adage — if you are good enough, you are old enough.
What’s next for the Filipinas was a fair question after the national team’s historic run to the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023.
With Sarina Bolden out of the SEA Games as she recovered from injury, and the likes of Katrina Guillou, Bella Flanigan, and Carleigh Frilles not currently part of the squad, there was a huge emphasis on the youth for this tournament.
For all intents and purposes, the Filipinas were a team in transition.
But what showed up was an incredibly resilient group that improved with every single game.
Regardless of the youth on the team, there was a veteran spine of World Cup veterans to keep the team grounded.
Philippine Secretary of Defense nominee and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel stepped up in the biggest moment.
[RELATED: Olivia McDaniel reflects on penalty shootout vs Vietnam — ‘I didn’t want to do it again’]
Centurion Hali Long recovered from a goal-conceding error and buried a penalty in both knockout shootouts.
Regulars Jessica Cowart, Angie Beard, Sophia Harrison Wunsch, Jackie Sawicki, Sara Eggesvik, and Meryl Serrano provided security, consistency, and leadership that allowed those around them to shine as brightly as they could.
Then there were the young guns who used their youthful exuberance to add new life to this team.
Apart from the young attacking core mentioned earlier, the Filipinas also turned to 22-year-old Malea Cesar, 23-year-old Alessandra Carpio, 20-year-old Megan Murray, 18-year-old Ari Markey, 17-year-old Nina Mathelus, and 19-year-old Azumi Oka.
You can only imagine how it must feel for the newly-retired Inna Palacios and fellow veteran Anicka Castañeda to have a glimpse of how bright the team’s future could be.
Especially when you consider that both Palacios and Castañeda were there when the Philippines was in the doldrums of international football.
Palacios in particular spent 18 years in the rollercoaster of Philippine women’s football, only to end her international career on the highest possible note.
Coach Mark Torcaso and his staff also deserve so much credit. They were consistent in their commitment to the team and the growth of each player despite the revolving door of managers they have had to work with in the past few years.
They were a source of consistency in what was unsettled ground for a time.
Bolden, Guillou, Flanigan, Frilles, Chandler McDaniel, and those who came before could very much have a part in our steps forward. This is their gold medal, too.
But the work begins anew.
The sparks of a new fire are there for the Filipinas and now the challenge is to stoke that into a flame that burns brighter than the last.
Rebuilds are supposed to be painful, but how lucky are we that this restart is built on gold?