CHONBURI, Thailand – Another historic milestone was reached by the Filipinas on Wednesday night.
Olivia McDaniel made the game-winning save on penalty shootout against four-time defending champion Vietnam as the Philippines became a football gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games for the first time ever at the Chonburi Daikin Stadium.
McDaniel caught the penalty shot of Vietnam’s Tran Thi Thu for a thrilling 6-5 win after a scoreless tie at the end of regulation to capture the gold in women’s football.
Historic Filipinas
Prior to Wednesday, neither the Philippine men’s nor women’s squad won a football crown in the multisports competition.
Anxious moments ensued after the regulation period with both teams going perfect in the first five attempts in the shootout.
Jaclyn Sawicki blasted the sixth attempt at the top left corner for a 6-5 lead before Tran’s shot to the right side went straight into the hands of McDaniel, leading to a celebration onto the field.
The Philippines under head coach Mark Torcaso completed its magical ride to the SEA Games gold.
The Filipinas began their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Myanmar but picked up the win over the now-dethroned champions, 1-0, in their second outing.
The Philippines beat Malaysia, 6-0, to advance to the semifinals, where they ousted the host country on penalties, 4-2, after a 1-1 tie.
Vietnam nearly scored in the 29th minute on a header by star striker Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy but it was later ruled as an offside.
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