PH Women’s football team set sights on historic SEA Games Gold

The Philippine women’s national football team is no longer chasing belief — they are chasing history.

One match now separates the Filipinas from a breakthrough SEA Games gold medal, a scenario that once felt distant but now feels tangible after a dramatic semifinal triumph over host Thailand that redefined their tournament run.

Locked in a 1-1 stalemate after 120 minutes at the Chonburi Daikin Stadium, the semifinal was decided from the penalty spot. Amid a roaring Thai crowd, the Filipinas held their nerve, winning the shootout 4-2 as Thailand’s final two attempts sailed wide — a moment that instantly etched itself into Philippine football lore.

For head coach Mark Torcaso, the victory was about more than tactics or technique. It was validation.

“There’s been a lot of doubt for some of our players and what they’ve been able to prove in the last couple of months and they’ve got themselves into a gold medal match and I couldn’t be prouder,” Torcaso said after the match.

The win propelled the Filipinas into their first-ever SEA Games women’s football final, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Vietnam on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time). 

Vietnam, the region’s perennial powerhouse and defending champion, stands between the Philippines and a landmark gold.

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FIRST-EVER FINAL

After finishing 1-1 against Thailand, the Filipinas powered through in a 4-2 finish at the penalty shootout to barge into the Women’s Football Finals against Vietnam for the first time at the #SEAGames2025!#TibayAtTatag #SEAGames33 #SEAGamesThailand pic.twitter.com/DCR1XUHGb2

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) December 14, 2025

The task is daunting — especially since the Filipinas already edged Vietnam 1-0 in the group stage. Goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel understands the challenge ahead.

“I’m so glad we’re in this position and it’s going to be tough,” McDaniel said.

 “Beating a team we’ve already beat in the same tournament is really, really difficult, but I have no doubt that the team will come together and we’ll get the win.”

Team captain Hali Long, who reached her 100th international cap in the semifinal, sees the matchup as a test of hunger rather than history.

“We’re not tired, we’re hungry, we want it,” she stressed. “It’s a first time feeling for us, and a familiar feeling for Vietnam.”

That hunger has defined a campaign that nearly unraveled before it ever took off.

The Filipinas opened their SEA Games journey with a 1-2 loss to Myanmar — a result that immediately put their hopes in jeopardy. But instead of folding, they responded with urgency. Rising star Mallie Ramirez delivered a dramatic extra-time winner against Vietnam in the group stage, breathing life back into their semifinal push.

Momentum followed. Against Malaysia, teenager Alexa Pino announced herself on the big stage, scoring a hat-trick in a commanding 6-0 win that secured the Philippines’ place in the knockout rounds.

The semifinal against Thailand was their sternest test yet. Playing in front of a partisan crowd, the Filipinas fell behind in the 53rd minute and spent much of the match absorbing pressure. Then came the turning point — a late handball inside the box.

Jael Guy stepped forward with everything on the line.

“I just remember walking up to the spot and, you know, I could hear the Thailand crowd trying to get into my head,” Guy recalled.

“And obviously that’s a little nerve-wracking, but I just visualized putting it in the back of the net and then I just did.”

That goal forced extra time, then penalties — and finally, history.

Torcaso believes the semifinal encapsulated everything about his team’s journey.

“They haven’t stopped fighting this whole competition,” he said.

“Even after a loss in the first game, we were absolutely determined to make sure we made the gold medal match after that loss against Myanmar and we’re here now and as I said, it’s very emotional.”

Regardless of Wednesday’s outcome, the Filipinas have already surpassed their previous SEA Games peak — a bronze medal in Hanoi in 2021. But for this group, progress alone is no longer enough.

They’ve reached unfamiliar territory, and they intend to leave with something even rarer: the gold.

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