By NIKOLE JAVIER
Philippine national football team couldn’t hold off South Korea in the last 17 minutes and suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first of two FIFA friendly matches on Friday, April 5, at the Icheon Sports Complex.
The Mark Torcaso-coached Philippines and the host will share the venue once more on Monday, April 8, with the visiting side looking to get back at the Koreans.
Despite the result, the match did not reflect the defensive effort and progress that the Filipinas displayed after settling for a goalless first half with goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel keeping a clean sheet.
However, a defensive lapse from Jessica Cowart in the 73rd minute saw Choe Yuri convert it into a goal to open the scoring.
Three minutes later, captain Ji Soyun found the back of the net off a beautiful free kick for a 2-0 lead that somehow disheartened the Filipinas.
Ranked almost twice below the 20th South Korean side at No. 39 in the world, the Philippines was limited to possessions with only a few chances being created here and there by Sarina Bolden.
In their last four encounters, the Philippines has only been able to score a lone goal coming from Bolden during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year.
