18/12/2025
Team Filipinas Wins First SEA Games Football Gold
History was made last night as the Philippine women’s national football team, Filipinas, finally climbed to the top of the Southeast Asian Games podium.
The Filipinas stunned four-time defending champions Vietnam in a tense penalty shootout, 6–5, to claim their first-ever SEA Games gold medal at Chonburi Stadium in Thailand.
After 120 scoreless minutes of action, the final was decided from the spot. The Filipinas stayed calm under pressure, converting all five of their initial penalties.
Veteran midfielder Jackie Sawicki then drilled a clutch penalty, putting the pressure on Vietnam’s final shooter. That’s when goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel stepped up once more — blocking Tran Thị Thu’s shot and sealing one of the greatest moments in Philippine football history. 💪
“I didn’t want to go to penalties again,” McDaniel admitted. “But we knew the job had to be done. We just backed each other up.”
Team captain Hali Long, playing her record-breaking 101st match for the national team, said the mindset was simple: no settling.
“We weren’t going to end on a loss,” Long said. “It was either bronze or gold and we gave ourselves no choice.”
This latest triumph adds to the Filipinas’ growing list of milestones -- from qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to winning the AFF Women’s Championship in 2022.
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