The journey for the ‘Taegeuks’ begins now.
Head coach Colleen Bell’s women’s national soccer team has qualified for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The team defeated the Philippines 5-1 in the second match of Group E on Friday at the Wenzhou Sports Center in China. With the two wins, South Korea will advance to the quarterfinals regardless of the outcome of the third game.
A tough match was expected. The Philippines is a fast and physical team that has recently embraced mixed-race players. They reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 Women’s Asian Cup and beat hosts New Zealand 1-0 at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia-New Zealand, proving their international competitiveness.
But contrary to expectations, South Korea dominated the Philippines. They conceded an early goal to Sarina Bolden in the eighth minute, but bounced back with back-to-back goals from Chun Garam (Hwacheon KSPO) and Son Hwa-yeon (Incheon Hyundai Steel). In the second half, Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC) scored a penalty corner goal and Son Hwa-yeon completed her hat trick with two more goals. After defeating Myanmar 3-0 in the first round, South Korea continued their good form with a second consecutive victory 굿모닝토토.
The early qualification gave them some breathing room. They can rest their starters for their final group game against Hong Kong on the 28th. Considering the quarterfinals on the 30th, it’s even more welcome that they can take it easy against Hong Kong.
‘Belho’ aims to restore honor At the Women’s World Cup in July, the team will be looking to bounce back from a 1-1 draw in the group stage that saw them fail to reach the round of 16. The Korean women’s soccer team has yet to win a gold medal at the Asian Games, so it will be interesting to see if they can make history and restore their pride.