Filipinas super striker Sarina Bolden tallied her second international hat-trick, helping the Philippine Women’s National Football Team to enter the semifinals of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship by demolishing Indonesia, 4-1-, Sunday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The feat delighted the home crowd among the 1,474 spectators that came to watch the game live at the venue, and the thousands of local fans watching online via the PWNT Facebook page, and on television via One Sports.

The Filipina goals all came in the second half, cleaning up a sloppy possession by goalkeeper Inna Palacios, who conceded the opening goal to a pesky Carla Bio Pattinasarany.

Fielding their ace midfielders Katrina Guillou, Sara Eggesvik, and Jaclyn Sawicki, the Filipinas’ were able to send the ball better to the attacking third for a string of goals.

Captain Tahnai Annis scored the opener at the 48th minute, rebounding an assist intended for Isabella Flanigan for her tenth international goal.

It was a Bolden show thereafter as she scored three goals in ten minutes.

At the 58th minute, Bolden received a gorgeous assist from a cruising Eggesvik from top-left, tapping the ball to the goal.

Bolden goaled again at the 65th minute, this time off an assist from Sawicki, also from top left.

The tournament co-leading scorer completed her show with a running attack off a Guillou ground pass, where Bolden initially missed her strike, only to goal off the rebound.

Bolden has scored five goals in the tournament and is in a tie with Australian Amy Sayer for most goals. She has also score 14 international goals and has moved to second place in the all-time Filipinas scoring list along with Hali Long.

“We didn’t let that 1-0 stop us. We have been down before and it doesn’t scare us to be down again,” Bolden said after the game.

With their fourth win in as many matches, the Filipinas advance to the semifinals for the second straight edition.

The Filipinas, then led by Camille Rodriguez and coached by Let Dimzon, landed at fourth place in 2019 in Thailand after losing the bronze medal match to Myanmar, 0-3.

The Filipinas will try to top Group A on Tuesday if they beat Thailand, who is a three wins and one draw.

The Thais have earlier defeated Malaysia, 4-0, in Biñan while Australia, hoping for a Thailand loss and at least a 6-0 win against Malaysia on Tuesday to survive, devoured Singapore, 4-1, in the first game.

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