Cover Sarina Bolden (Photo: courtesy of FIFA Women’s World Cup and Sarina Bolden/Instagram)
Sarina Bolden (Photo: courtesy of FIFA Women’s World Cup and Sarina Bolden/Instagram)
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Who is Sarina Bolden and why did she and Team Filipinas made history?
Team Filipinas’ win last July 25 at the 2023 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Women’s World Cup went down as one of the biggest moments in Philippine team sports’ recent history. Coach Alen Stajcic said he doesn’t know if there has ever been a bigger win such as this one. “Obviously, Manny Pacquiao individually. But for team sport, it would have to be the best achievement in the history of the country,” he says in a post-interview. “Beating the host nation in the World Cup. Without question, it’s number one.”
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Forward player Sarina Bolden secured a 1-0 victory against New Zealand’s Football Ferns at the FIFA World Cup this year, scoring a historic goal as the ball slipped past the goalkeeper’s hands. Bolden and her teammates’ synergy and unity were enough to hold down their defence for over 90 minutes after making that first goal, securing the country’s historic first victory.
Sarina Bolden
Born on June 30, 1996, in California, Sarina Isabel Bolden is a Filipino-American professional midfielder for the A-League Women Club Western Sydney Wanderers. She represents the Philippines women’s national team.
As a result of her exceptional performance with the Loyola Marymount University women’s soccer team in her college years, Bolden attended a training camp organised by the United States women’s national under-23 soccer team in April 2017.
Later, in the same year, she had the opportunity to participate in training camps hosted by the Philippines women’s national football team.
Fast forward to July 25, she scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over World Cup co-host New Zealand, marking this as her country’s first-ever goal and victory in the competition.
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Last July 30, Team Filipinas’ journey was put to an end after the 6-0 loss to Norway. Still, the team looked at the bright side. “I do not know if I’ll ever imagine being here and being in the World Cup and making it this far,” Bolden said. “I don’t think I expected all of that. I’m just happy that I trusted in the process.”
After a fulfilling season for the athlete, she shares that she wants to lay low for a while, describing her journey in sports as “long” thus far.
Despite her desire to take a break, however, Bolden expressed her wish of returning and her willingness to endure the painstaking process once again to lead the Philippines back to the World Cup in four years.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
