Oka Called Up to Philippines Women’s National Team for 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup

, a rising sophomore on the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's soccer team, was recently called up to play with the Philippines Women's National Team as announced by the Philippine Football Federation."I am so excited and honored to get to represent UNCG and most importantly my country with this national call up," said Oka. "It means to much to me that I was given this opportunity to play in my first call up with team. Thank you to my UNCG coaches and my team. I can't wait to represent you all!"Oka will join the squad as they prepare for the 2025 ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup which is set to take place from Aug. 6-19 in Vietnam at both Viet Tri Stadium and Lach Tray Stadium. The ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup is Southeast Asia's premier international women's football tournament with a heritage dating back to 2004 when it was introduced as the AFF Women's Championship. The Philippines Women's National Team will enter the tournament as the reigning championship, winning the ASEAN MSIG Serenity Cup on its own soil in 2022.Oka most recently was named to the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Best XI for the Carolinas Division after spending the summer playing with Port City FC based in Wilmington, North Carolina. For the Spartans during her freshman season, Oka started in nine games and played in 14, accumulating 732 minutes and scoring two goals for four points.Australia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are the seven other teams taking part in the Cup. The Philippines will first matchup against Timor-Leste on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m., followed by Australia on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and then Myanmar on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Semifinals will begin on Saturday, Aug. 16 and the final and third-place game will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 19.Oka is set to rejoin the Spartans when she returns. The Blue & Gold began the 2025 slate with an exhibition on Aug. 3 against Virginia Tech. UNCG travels to Asheville to take on UNC Asheville on Aug. 7 at noon, followed by hosting James Madison on Aug. 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. The Spartans will begin regular season play on Aug. 14 against in-state foe Davidson at 7:00 p.m. at home. All regular season home games are free admission.The 2025 edition of the MSIG Serenity Cup is the first to feature a qualifying event with three highest-placed teams in the 2024 AFF Women's Cup, joining five seeded nations in the group stage. The AFF Women's Cup was held in Laos last year.The eight qualified teams will be drawn into two groups for the round-robin group stage matches. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals and subsequently, the two winners will battle in the final to be crowned ASEAN women's champions.

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