KALAMAZOO, Mich. - After the Thanksgiving holiday most Western Michigan students are preparing for exams, but
Patrice Impelido, a sophomore on WMU's women's soccer team, is heading to Thailand to represent the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games. Impelido will join her older sister, Angeline, on the Philippine national soccer team for the second time; both played in the last SEA Games in 2005.
This year's SEA Games are being held from December 6-15. Every two years representatives from each of the 11 current Southeast Asian countries compete in 40 sports, under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia. Korat, Thailand, is the host for this year's SEA Games, with certain events taking place in Bangkok and Chonburi.
Six countries will enter teams in women's soccer this year, with the Philippines joining Vietnam and Laos in group one, while Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia comprise group two. Teams will play within their own group in the elimination round and the winner of each group will face one another for the championship. Soccer is one of four spors that begin competition before the opening ceremonies on December 6 and is the first sport to hold an event when play commences on Nov. 29.
“It was a lot of fun,” Impelido says of playing alongside her sister in the 2005 SEA Games. “It was so exciting to play with the Philippines when we were hosting it at home.”
Impelido just finished her sophomore season with the Broncos, tying for the team lead in scoring and earning a spot on the All-Mid-American Conference second team. She finished the year with one goal and two assists for four points, recording the game-tying goal in a 1-1 (2OT) tie at Akron. It was the second year in a row she'd earned league accolades, as she was named to the All-Freshman team after her rookie campaign.
Two years ago the Philippine coach contacted Impelido to see if she'd be interested in trying out for the team. Her sister Angeline, a four-year letterwinner for Northern Illinois, was already playing for the Philippines and after Patrice earned a spot in her try out, the sisters became teammates for the first time. The Philippines posted a 1-3 record in the elimination round at the 2005 SEA Games, defeating Indonesia, while falling to Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
“Soccer is slowly maturing over there, so it's not the best, but I had a lot of fun,” Impelido said.
