With McDaniel hat trick, Stallion Laguna blasts Mongolia team at AFC women’s championship

WITH skipper Chandler McDaniel as spearhead, Stallion Laguna FC walloped Mongolia’s Khovd Western FC, 6-1, at the start of the AFC Women’s Champions League on Monday night in Myanmar.

Ms. McDaniel fired a hat trick to anchor the reigning PFF Women’s Cup holders’ goal spree at Yangon’s Thuwunna Stadium that spiked their fiery debut in Asia’s premier club women’s tournament.

Maximum points secured, the Laguna-based club grabbed a share of the Group A lead with host club ISPE, which scored a dominant 9-0 shutout of Guam’s Stryker in the other match.

Ms. McDaniel, a Filipinas mainstay, opened the floodgates with a nifty free kick seven minutes into the game and followed it up with a conversion from the spot three minutes later.

Mia Bookhand joined the fray with a pair of strikes (21st and 45+2 minutes) then Isabella Villaflor nodded in the fifth goal (58th) before Ms. McDaniel completed her treble in the 89th. Lee Nari had a consolation goal for the Mongolian side in the 78th.

“We came out, had a strong start and we showed that we’re here to compete,” said the 27-year-old McDaniel.

“Of course there’s always room to improve so (we’re) looking forward to building on this game and try get two more wins and make it out of this group stage.”

Also notching a victory on opening night was BGC-College of Asian Scholars, the Thai club that features Filipinas defender Hali Long, over in Group B in Uzbekistan.

Ms. Long and CAS beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club, 2-0. — Olmin Leyba