FILIPINO-AMERICAN standouts Alexa Pino and Natalie Collins scored two goals each for the Filipinas Under-17 team as they led in the swamping of host Indonesia, 6-1, Monday evening at the start of the 2024 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup.
Pino, playing out of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connectticutt, struck in the sixth and 35th minutes in the first half of their encounter at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali, Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the 16-year-old Collins, an attacker from West Springfield Massachusetts, sank her goals in the second half in the 54th and 62nd minutes.
“I think our team as a whole, did a great job performing. They executed the plan that we worked on,” said Pino.
The Filipinas moved to a share of the Group A lead with North Korea, which routed South Korea, 7-0, over at the Bali United Training Center.
After Pino struck the first goal, the Indonesians tied the count when Claudia Alexandra Scheunemann made her move to score in the 12th minute.
The Filipinas broke the deadlock off Jael-Marie Guy and Ariana Markey, who sent in goals in the 22nd and 29th minutes, respectively, for a 3-1 edge.
Owning a 4-1 lead allowed the Filipinas to pick up the momentum in the second half.
The Philippines, coached by Sinisa Cohadzic, will face North Korea at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Bali United Training Center.
A second straight win by the young Filipinas will put them in contention for a slot in the knockout stage and a chance to get a slot in the U17 Women’s World Cup right in their debut appearance in the tournament.