{"id":26278,"date":"2024-01-03T14:33:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T20:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=26278"},"modified":"2024-01-03T14:33:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T20:33:39","slug":"alums-still-thrilled-by-once-in-a-lifetime-world-cup-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2024\/alums-still-thrilled-by-once-in-a-lifetime-world-cup-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Alums still thrilled by \u2018once-in-a-lifetime\u2019 World Cup experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Olivia McDaniel admits she was pretty nervous when she stepped into goal for her World Cup match in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a really huge field and there was all the hype, but the minute you step on the field you think, \u2018It\u2019s just soccer, it\u2019s just another game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McDaniel and her sister, Chandler, both 2020 51ÁÔÆæ alumnae, helped make soccer history for the Philippines women\u2019s soccer team in this summer\u2019s World Cup. Their mother, Lindy, is Filipina, which made them eligible for the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The McDaniel sisters, who both played soccer for 51ÁÔÆæ, helped the Philippines team qualify<\/a> for the World Cup for the first time. Then, goalie Olivia became a star in the team\u2019s first-ever World Cup victory<\/a> with a 1-0 victory over co-host New Zealand on July 25. She made a spectacular save on a shot near the end of the game that would have tied the score. McDaniel was named player of the game, the first time that award was given to a goalkeeper at this year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was amazing that the Philippines made the World Cup; it was stunning to win a match there. While the team didn\u2019t advance<\/a>, the McDaniel sisters were thrilled to have the experience on the world soccer stage at one of the largest events in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cIt was surreal. Every little soccer player dreams of growing up and playing in the World Cup. It was just a terrific experience overall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting as \u2018little littles\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivia and Chandler started playing soccer as \u201clittle littles\u201d growing up in California, Olivia recalled. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing for as long as we can remember.\u201d Their dad, Clint, is a soccer coach, and their brother, Griffin, also plays soccer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their mom got them involved with Philippine soccer through camps. Her parents had come to the U.S. when they were young, passing on their dual citizenship to their daughter Lindy and ultimately their grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chandler and Olivia grew up attending soccer camps and tournaments, and eventually ended up playing college soccer for 51ÁÔÆæ. Olivia played goal for the Panthers from 2016-19, part of successful four-year stretch in which the team went 62-9-8 overall. Chandler started all 19 games in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivia came to 51ÁÔÆæ first to pursue a degree in communication, and Chandler transferred to 51ÁÔÆæ after two years at Virginia Tech, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in criminal justice at 51ÁÔÆæ with a minor in psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t know much about 51ÁÔÆæ when she came here, Olivia recalled, \u201cbut I ended up absolutely loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sisters are proud of their Filipino heritage and thrilled they\u2019ve been a part of helping the country, especially its young women, start to make its mark in the sport. Soccer is the world\u2019s most popular sport, but lags behind basketball, volleyball and others in the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up, we knew about our heritage through our mother, grandparents, cousins and extended family,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud to be able to shine a light on the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Cup appearance and the first-ever win was a victory for the whole team, Olivia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got to play for our country, and that was just amazing. We had a really good mindset. We wanted to do it for the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying for the Olympics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, the McDaniel sisters helped the Philippines try to make another huge leap \u2013 qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. That\u2019s a much more difficult task \u2013 32 teams qualify for the World Cup, but only 12 make it to the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Philippines team cruised through the first round of qualifying in January with three victories, advancing to the second round in Perth, Australia, in late October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Olivia in goal on Oct. 26, Chandler came off the bench in the 86th minute and scored her fifth international goal, capping the Philippines\u2019 4-1 win over Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). The team also beat Iran, 1-0, but lost to powerhouse Australia, 8-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That left the Philippines agonizingly short of advancing<\/a> to the final round, losing out to Uzbekistan on a tiebreaker. The team\u2019s success this year pushed the Philippine team\u2019s ranking into the top 40 in the world<\/a>, its highest ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The McDaniel sisters\u2019 futures include more soccer. Both have signed to play with the Austrian team FC Pinzgau Saalfelden<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor now, we just want to play for as long as possible, Olivia said. \u201cIt depends on our bodies and how long we can do it. We prefer to be together, so we\u2019d like to be on the same club team for as long as possible. Maybe in the next four years we\u2019ll try to compete in another World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kathy Quirk, Marketing & Communications<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Olivia McDaniel admits she was pretty nervous when she stepped into goal for her World Cup match in July. \u201cIt was a really huge field and there was all the hype, but the minute you step on the field you …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1483,"featured_media":26279,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[1945],"tags":[1851],"class_list":["post-26278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-focus-2024","tag-january"],"yoast_head":"\nLetters & Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2024\/alums-still-thrilled-by-once-in-a-lifetime-world-cup-experience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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