Rookie Eggesvik sets sights on grinding way to World Cup slot

Sara Eggesvik’s maiden tournament as a member of the Philippine women’s football team has caught the attention of fans who were impressed with her midfield role.

And after her performance in the Filipinas’ triumphant Asean Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship run, Eggesvik hopes to get a chance to make the roster for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.

“It’s something like the biggest that you can achieve as a player,” Eggesvik said. “It sure is a big target for me, and I want to train well and hopefully get a spot. We’ll see.”

The 25-year-old, born to a Norwegian father and a Filipino mother who hails from Davao, was among the prominent figures in the Philippines’ run in the AFF tourney, her first taste of competition since joining the team last month.

“I was just hoping to get a little bit of playing time and I’ve got so much more than I thought,” said Eggesvik. “I’m just very happy about that and I’m glad that I tried to team-perform as well as possible.”

Eggesvik played for the first time against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly held in Croatia.

But it wasn’t until the regional championship that Eggesvik was able to fully showcase her skills.

She scored twice during the two-week event, but it was her five assists that also keyed the Filipinas’ run to the country’s first-ever silverware.

Her first-ever goal came during the second half of the Philippines’ 7-0 thumping of Singapore, rolling a right-footed strike after the keeper failed to secure the ball.

Eggesvik also delivered in the 4-0 win against Malaysia when she came on just 10 minutes in the match to replace an injured Kaya Hawkinson, and delivered the opening goal in the 32nd minute.

In the same contest, Eggesvik assisted on two second-half goals courtesy of Quinley Quezada and Anicka Castañeda.

It was also Eggesvik who set up Sarina Bolden’s eighth and final goal of the AFF campaign, delivering a good ball off a corner kick that enabled the Filipinas’ talisman to score a header and seal a vengeful 3-0 win over Thailand in the final.