Malditas dump S'poreans, avert shutout

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Malditas thrashed Singapore, 7-2, to close out with a win in the 2012 Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Monday night.

Fil-Am Heather Cooke spearheaded Phl’s assault, knocking in three goals (37th, 55th and 57th minute), as the Malditas closed out their stint with a win after dropping stinging losses to Myanmar (0-3) and Vietnam (2-4).

The Malditas wound up third in Group A with three points, ahead of winless Singapore.

Host Vietnam topped the bracket with nine points after edging fellow semis-bound Myanmar (six points) via a slim 2-1 win in the other game.

“Thanks for all the support. It’s a good win to end the tournament. But there’s a lot of work to be done for the team. But definitely it’s a good experience,” said Malditas team captain Marielle Benitez.

The Pinay booters hope to gain something from this campaign as they continue to strive to progress in the international scene.

“If we want to improve we need to start preparing for next year,” said coach Ernie Nierras, who prior to the beginning of the tourney stated they were targeting a finals stint.