Perfect record sees the Filipinas secure passage to the second round of the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers

Photo Credits: Philippine Women's National Football Team

With just 100 days left before their debut in the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Filipinas mounted a performance worthy of a ticket to the second round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers after keeping a perfect record in the first round of matches capped off with a stellar performance against Hong Kong.

With three wins under their belt in all of their 10 encounters against Hong Kong, the Filipinas went out guns blazing against the ranked 79th in the world as they aim for a perfect record in the qualifiers, the only way out of the group to face the giants of Asia.

Not long enough, Sarina Bolden opened the scoring in the fifth minute after a sublime run from the 2022 AFF Women's Championship top goalscorer left the opponents in the dust before shooting it past the keeper.

The Filipinas continued to show their dominance as they kept the ball moving around the field and made the opponents chase for the ball. In the 30th minute, Katrina Guillou came close to scoring but her strike would have so much power that it would hit the crossbar. Jaclyn Sawicki also tried to join the party from long range but her strike in the 33rd minute was punched away by Ng Cheuk Wai.

Bolden finally doubled the lead in the 42nd minute of the match thanks to a majestic delivery from Sara Eggesvik from a freekick which was then controlled by Bolden before taking a strike against the keeper.

Not long after Bolden's second goal, Meryll Serrano would add another goal to their tally before the halftime whistle. Serrano took the freekick after Quinley Quezada was taken down and a rocket of a strike from Serrano found the back of the net in the 44th minute.

The Filipinas continued to dominate in the second half as another Filipinas mainstay scored their fourth goal. Quezada added another goal to her growing tally in the 53rd minute. Hong Kong made a vital mistake in allowing acres of space for the Filipinas' all-time top goalscorer who would then get her 22nd goal for the Philippines.

Despite slowing down a bit, the Filipinas still continued to dominate possession and prevent any threat from Hong Kong while keeping Olivia McDaniel unscathed.

The huge margin allowed the Philippines to shuffle their cards to allow some playing time for their substitutes. Chandler McDaniel replaced Bolden to feature in her third straight match after recovering from her injury. The birthday girl Carleigh Frilles and co-captain Tahnai Annis also featured in the match as substitutes. Coach Alen Stajcic continued to rotate the squad as he also introduced Reina Bonta and Malea Cesar towards the latter part of the match.

While the Filipinas await their fate in the second round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers, they now shift their focus to the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia where they are touted to leave with a gold medal after their superb performance in the 2022 AFF Women's Championship which led to the country's first-ever major silverware.