The Filipinas midfielder is no stranger to accomplishing feats of gargantuan proportions.
With the Philippine team, Jaclyn Sawicki reached new heights as she helped the squad qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time ever. Oh, and they got a win on the game’s grandest stage as well, against host country New Zealand, no less.
Over in Australia in the pro ranks, the 30-year-old footballer was named team captain of Western United FC. She then led the squad to a surprising grand finals appearance, considering it was their inaugural campaign in the A-League Women. With the new season underway, Sawicki reflected on his role reprisal with Western United.
“Personally I just want consistency. I think we kind of lacked with that last year. Hopefully, we could be a little bit more ruthless than we were last season and be consistent all season. ” Sawicki divulged in a video uploaded by Western United’s Facebook page.
“Every team, I believe, in the A-League wants to win. We’re one of those teams and we want to be on top by the end of the season, she added.
Of course, it’s impossible to do an interview with a Filipinas member without bringing up the Philippine team’s historic World Cup stint in New Zealand. With that, the Filipino-Candian booter pointed to a specific instance that she and her teammates will cherish for the rest of their lives.
“I think all of us have been reflecting on this one moment a lot because it kind of just took us away. It was our final game against Norway,” revealed Sawicki.
“We had about 30,000-plus fans singing our national anthem. And I didn’t know that people are going to be there for us,” she continued.
Realizing that the Filipinas made a huge impact in the Philippine sporting landscape was a powerful moment. The emotions flooded in as soon as Sawicki recalled what went down in Auckland before the Philippine contingent’s match against the Norwegians.
“That left me into tears when I was singing the anthem. Just to know how we impacted the Filipino community is something that’s going to stay with me forever,” Sawicki, with her voice cracking, said.
On Saturday, Western United opened its A-League Women season with a 2-0 loss to Perth Glory—a club that features Sawicki’s fellow Filipinas stars Quinley Quezada and Jessika Cowart.
Expect captain Jackie to refocus on rallying a more ruthless Western United for the coming games.
(CF)