Filipinas U-17 off to a flying start in AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers

Photo credits: Philippine Football Federation / Philippine Women's National Football Team

Hoping to follow the footsteps of the Philippine Women's National Football Team, the Filipinas U-17 kicked off their 2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers with a resounding victory over the hosts Guam thanks to Nina Mathelus' hat-trick over the young Masakada.

Guided by the women's senior national team coach Alen Stajcic, the young Filipinas didn't need to wait long to stamp their dominance over the opposition. Though still in its development stages, the girls in red showed how fluid they can be on the attack and how compact their defense is.

However, it was the brilliance of Nina Mathelus that gave the victory to the young Filipinas as she showed her pace, skill, and control of the ball. "It was a really good game. We played really well and they really put up a fight," said Mathelus after the match. She also said, "It's been really difficult the past few weeks but you (coaches) taught me a lot."

At the half-hour mark of the match, Mathelus opened her account for the Philippines after a high-arching pass from midfield found her boots before she turned past the keeper and took the shot to give the young FIlipinas the lead. The hosts, however, were able to keep the Philippines at bay until half-time which showed a bit of promise heading into the second salvo of the action.

Come the second half, the young Filipinas were off to the races as they continued their momentum from the first half. In just two minutes, Mathelus converted another goal for the Philippines with a left-footed strike at the edge of the box which caught the keeper by surprise while she was out of her own box.

The hosts kept on believing in themselves despite a barrage of attacks from the Young Filipinas and they would then get their reward. In the 71st minute, Melia Kuhakiko pulled a goal back after her free-kick found its way into the back of the net after Samantha Hughes failed to hold on to the ball which then allowed Guam to have a morale boost towards the final stretch of the match.

But four minutes later, Mathelus sucked the life out of the young Masakada as she scored her hat trick. Showing her pace and skills, Mathelus dribbled past two defenders before firing from distance and finding the top right corner of the goal. Thanks to her performance and an overall solid outing from the young Filipinas, they are currently in the driver's seat as they wait for the result of Guam's second match in the qualifiers against Lebanon.

The young Filipinas will be back in action on the 26th of April against Lebanon which would decide whether they would progress to the next round of qualifiers. They will be hoping for a perfect run as they try to replicate their ate's performance in the Olympic qualifiers.