Bolden beams with pride after Filipinas' Women's Asian Cup campaign
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina striker Sarina Bolden could not resist her immense sense of achievement after the Philippines' histsoric run at the AFC Women's Asian Cup in India.
Speaking after their 0-2 loss against Korea Thursday, Bolden spoke about how far the team has come despite the challenges.
"This team has grown so much, just like in the past couple of years. Look how far we've come. [We] played against teams like Myanmar, Nepal, and we were barely able to compete with them, and now look at us. We're competing with Australia, Korea," an emotional Bolden said.
"I'm so f---ing proud of this team and how much we've brought to the table," she added.
Despite coming in as immense underdogs against most of their opponents, the Philippines competed in every single game.
It paid off as they were able to end their campaign with a program-best finish as a semifinalist.
En route to the semifinal, the Filipinas were able to eke out wins against higher-ranked Thailand, and Chinese Taipei.
Most importantly, they were able to give the Philippines their first-ever World Cup berth.
Bolden boasted of the team's ability to defy everyone's expectations with their achievements.
"A lot of people doubted us but we came here, we fought every single game, and now we made a name for ourselves," she said.
"Philippines, you're gonna remember this team and you're gonna see us in the World Cup. So don't forget about us because we're coming back," she added.
After their Cinderella run in India, next on the calendar for the Philippines this year is the 31st Southeast Asian Games set in Vietnam.
There, they will attempt to gain a podium finish -- another program first -- after narrowly missing out on the bronze medal last year in Manila.
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