Goalkeeper McDaniel a defensive wall of rock
WELLINGTON — With history within reach, count on ace goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel to save the day for the Filipinas.
When New Zealand (NZ) put the Philippines under heavy bombardment in desperate search for the equalizer in Tuesday’s unforgettable FIFA Women’s World Cup (WC) game, Ms. McDaniel provided the rock to the visitors’ defensive wall.
She tirelessly guarded the net amid the relentless Ferns’ assaults up until the final whistle, making stops after stops in a determined effort to protect the 1-0 cushion the underdogs built on Sarina Bolden’s first-half header.
Ms. McDaniel put the finishing touches to the country’s first WC win by palming away the potential tying strike by Grace Jale in the third minute of a five-minute stoppage time.
“They gave us their everything, they gave us their all and all we could do was just get the ball out of there. And we did that,” said Ms. McDaniel. “The last five minutes felt like 20 years. But it worked so we were happy.”
Not surprisingly, the 25-year-old Californian was named Player of the Game — a major accolade she immediately shared with the nation.
“It’s for the country, it’s for the entire team. Being debutants in this World Cup, it just can’t be for yourself but for everybody. Every single person helped fight for this so it’s not just a single person, it’s everybody,” she stressed.
Ms. Bolden was very appreciative of Ms. McDaniel’s strong presence between the sticks.
“Liv (Olivia) came up big with that save in the end so without that save, the goal wouldn’t even matter,” said the ace scorer.
Stepping up to the plate at the most important stage is nothing new for Ms. McDaniel.
In the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in January 2022, Ms. McDaniel made two huge saves and scored a goal as the Philippines beat quarterfinal opponent Chinese Taipei on penalties, 4-3 after a 1-1 draw. That massive result sent them to the World Cup.
Asked whether her heroics versus NZ had topped her exploits against Chinese Taipei, Ms. McDaniel said: “I think it might, it means a bit more.”
With her shot-stopping plays, Ms. McDaniel became the target of jeers from the pro-NZ crowd. But the presence of loud kababayans (countrymen) helped a great deal.
“We knew that would happen. We’re on their home soil, we knew their crowd’s gonna be huge but our kababayans had made it out tonight they were louder and that’s all I heard really. They helped keep me composed and they toughened us tonight.” — Olmin Leyba
