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Filipinas midfielder Sara Eggesvik during their Southeast Asian Games football match against Myanmar at the RCAF Old Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 6, 2023. PFF-PWNFT Media/File

Philippine Women’s National Football Team during the Southeast Asian Games football match against Myanmar at the RCAF Old Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 6, 2023. Handout

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SEA GAMES-FOOTBALL

Jeck Batallones

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171216022117620230503-sea-games-ph-women-football-mya-HO0057.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Filipinas midfielder Sara Eggesvik during their Southeast Asian Games football match against Myanmar at the RCAF Old Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 6, 2023. PFF-PWNFT Media/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipinas midfielder Sara Eggesvik during their Southeast Asian Games football match against Myanmar at the RCAF Old Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 6, 2023. <em>PFF-PWNFT Media/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- The Philippine women&#x27;s national football team will face a stiff test as they take on South Korea in a pair of international friendlies at the Incheon Sports Complex.</p><p>Australian coach Mark Torcaso has called up a blend of seasoned campaigners and emerging talents for the matches on April 5 and 8, as they gear up to take on their regional counterparts.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:948px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1774116619998179361&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-04-03T16%3A52%3A51.176102%3A19c3388b-608b-4035-b374-7489ed554c60%26action%3Dcorrect%26popup&amp;sessionId=0c682e387ab284eeedb1e73cffd0460e9b14ca08&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1774116619998179361"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Notable players like goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, midfielder Tahnai Annis, defender Hali Long, and striker Sarina Bolden -- all of whom played in last year&#x27;s FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup -- are poised to play pivotal roles in these encounters.</p><p>The announcement follows the team&#x27;s recent participation in the 2024 Pinatar Cup in Spain, where they faced stiff competition from higher-ranked European opponents. Torcaso emphasized the importance of playing against European teams.</p><p>&quot;We played in Pinatar which was a very competitive group with some of the top, top nations in Europe. It was very important for us to continue to build as a national team and we believe that playing against top European teams would help us continue to grow as a team,&quot; he said.</p><p>With the goalkeeping responsibilities distributed among McDaniel, Gabrielle Baker, Nina Meollo, and Inna Palacios, and a solid defensive lineup including stalwarts like Long, the team is poised for a formidable showing. In midfield, alongside Annis are Sara Eggesvik, Kaya Hawkinson, and a host of other skilled players.</p><p>Torcaso explained the absence of Jaclyn Sawicki and Meryll Serrano, the latter being hobbled with an ankle injury.</p><p>&quot;Jackie is quite unwell after the final game with Western United. We made the decision it&#x27;s best for her not to travel due to her illness,&quot; he revealed.</p><p>Seeking redemption for past defeats, particularly a painful loss at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the Filipinas are determined to showcase their improvement and competitiveness on the international stage through various exhibition matches against powerhouse teams. </p><p>&quot;We want to bridge the gap between the other top Asian teams in particular so for us to become a better team collectively but also better players in regards to their development and their progress,&quot; Torcaso said.</p><p>South Korea is currently ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA, while the Philippines is at No. 39.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3003986"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div>

<p>The Philippine women's national football team will face a stiff test as they take on South Korea in a pair of international friendlies at the Incheon Sports Complex.</p>

The Philippine women's national football team will face a stiff test as they take on South Korea in a pair of international friendlies at the Incheon Sports Complex.

Football: Filipinas brace for tough challenge vs. South Korea

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Football: Filipinas brace for tough challenge vs. South Korea

Jeck Batallones,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 04, 2024 01:34 AM PHT

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Updated April 04, 2024 01:42 AM PHT

Read More:

abssports

football

Filipinas

PWNFT

Philippine women's national football team

PFF

Mark Torcaso

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