BY CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City – The reigning first runner-up in the 2014 Asian Football Confederation U14 girls team will compete in the qualifying tournament for the AFC Under-16 Women’s Football Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
John Carmona, San Carlos city Football Club coach, said three of his players will still be in the national team.
San Carlos City contributed three of its players in the recent AFC Under-14 girls football tournament in Vietnam.
They lost to seasoned Thailand, 2-1 in the finals. However, they defeated defending champion Vietnam, 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
San Carlos City’s contributions were players Tenelyn Otom (the national team captain), Princess Beth Caparida and Tejanee Marie Isulat.
The three will be honored during the 54th Charter Anniversary of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on July 1.
City government will give them P2,500 cash incentives each.
Other nations in the upcoming tournaments are Chinese Taipei, Myanmar and Cambodia in Group D.
The Taiwanese played in the final round of the AFC U-16 women’s tilt last year and just fell short of a stint in the last four.
Myanmar, for its part, faced off with Pinay booters in 2013 qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial and prevailed, 2-1.
Japan is the defending champion and the next three teams in the final standing of the 2013 edition, runner-up North Korea, third placer China and No. 4 Thailand, had been given outright qualification slots.
Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan make up Group A while Bangladesh, Iran, Jordan, India, United Arab Emirates and Qatar comprise Group B of the West Zone.
Australia, Korea Republic, Hong Kong, Northern Mariana Islands and Vietnam vie in Group C, the other bracket in the East Zone.
According to the AFC, each group will play a one-round league in a centralized venue with the winners from each group advancing to the eight-nation finals.
Other members of the U14 Girls are Ilongga Francesca Ann Marie Suerte from Sta. Barbara, Iloilo; Stacy Ann Arthur of Metro Manila; Jennifer Baroin of Makati City; Jan Reese Jumawan of Cebu City; Lindsay Whaley of Subic Bay; Patricia Erika Francisco of Davao City; Chloe Anne Hails of Metro Manila; Itsuko Bacatan of Cebu City; Annika Velez of Manila; Glynnes De la Cruz of Metro Manila; Joyce Semacio of Davao City; Arantxa Mari Trebol of Cebu City; Yasmin May Elauria of Olongapo City; Alexandrea Gumilao of Cebu; and Mikayla Grace Simons of Hong Kong./PN
