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— The Editors

Filipinas unveil lineup for Olympic qualifiers

By Ivan Stewart Saldajeno

April 1, 2023, 11:05 am

MANILA – The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) has called up 21 female footballers to compose the national team lineup for the first round of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Tajikistan next week.

As disclosed on Friday, coach Alen Stajcic brought in 20 of his players from the Filipinas' Pinatar Cup lineup – forwards Sarina Bolden, Quinley Quezada, and Katrina Guillou; midfielders Tahnai Annis, Jacklyn Sawicki, Carleigh Frilles, Anicka Castañeda, Sara Eggesvik, and Meryll Serrano; defenders Hali Long, Maya Alcantara, Alicia Barker, Reina Bonta, Jessika Cowart, Malea Cesar, Sofia Harrison, and Eva Madarang; and goalkeepers Olivia McDaniel, Inna Palacios, and Kiara Fontanilla.

McDaniel's sister Chandler will be making a return to the Filipinas from an anterior cruciate ligament injury to complete the lineup.

The Filipinas, ranked 49th in the world, are grouped in Group E with host Tajikistan, Hong Kong, and Pakistan.

They will first play Pakistan on Wednesday before playing Tajikistan on Black Saturday and Hong Kong on April 11.

The top team in the group will join the other group stage winners in the second round of the Olympic qualifiers in October along with seeded teams Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, and North Korea.

The first round of the Olympic qualifiers also serves as part of the Filipinas' preparation for the Southeast Asian Games in May and the FIFA Women's World Cup in July. (PNA)

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